‘Hamzat stepped down for me without a grudge’ — Sanwo-Olu recalls 2018 guber race
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos state, has recalled how Obafemi Hamzat, his deputy and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, shelved his governorship ambition in 2018.
In a post on X on Friday, Sanwo-Olu said party leaders prevailed on Hamzat to step aside for him — and he did so “without nursing a grudge”.
“Most of you know this story, but none of you have heard it from me,” he wrote.
“Back in September 2018, Femi Hamzat wanted to be Governor of Lagos State. He had thirteen years of public service under Asiwaju and BRF, with the record and backing to win. Then party leaders asked him to step aside for me.
“It takes a rare man to put down what he wants without nursing a grudge. Femi shook my hand and, five weeks later, agreed to run beside me. I have never forgotten that.”
The governor said Hamzat’s record on paper does not tell the full story of his character.
“Anyone can read a CV, but only the person in the room with a man when the cameras leave can tell you who he really is. For 2,711 days, I have been in that room with him,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu said Hamzat stood by him through the COVID-19 pandemic and was integral in the development of major projects in Lagos.
“Long before any ribbon was cut, he was asking the tough questions an engineer asks,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu said deputies are often sidelined in other states, but Hamzat’s case was different.
“On day one, Femi promised to be the best deputy governor in Lagos history. He kept his word,” he said.
“In seven years, there has not been a single day I wondered whose side he was on. We have had one government, one direction, and one voice.”
Sanwo-Olu likened governance in Lagos to a relay race, saying power is only given to a candidate prepared to govern.
“The baton is never passed to a runner standing still. You run at full speed inside the exchange zone, together, before the pass. That is how Lagos has been governed for 27 years, from Asiwaju to BRF, to Ambode, to me,” he said.
“Femi is a deputy governor like no other. He built the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge under Fashola, digitised government under Asiwaju and holds a doctorate in engineering. His father served Lateef Jakande. This is in his blood. Critics say Lagos keeps choosing from the same pool. I say Lagos trains its people.
“With major projects underway and a master plan stretching to 2052, this is not the time to experiment. What Femi presents today is not a campaign promise cooked up on a bus, it is the next leg of a race we have been running since 1999. Lagos does not hand the baton to a man standing still.”
Sanwo-Olu’s praise of his deputy came in the wake of the unveiling of Hamzat’s manifesto titled “The Lagos Promise”.
The manifesto focuses on healthcare, education, job creation, infrastructure, youth empowerment, security and inclusive governance.
