- The deputy governorship candidate of the APC in Lagos, Obafemi Hamzat, said he rejected the deputy governorship slot in 2015
- Hamzat said he accepted the slot for the 2019 election because he is more comfortable working with Sanwo-Olu, the party’s governorship candidate
- He also contested for the governorship slot but later stepped down for Sanwo-Olu after the latter got the support of Tinubu
Obafemi Hamzat, the running mate of the Lagos state All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, reportedly hinted that he was not comfortable being Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s running mate four years ago.
The Punch reports that Hamzat said he rejected the deputy governorship slot in 2015, but accepted it in 2018 because he was more comfortable working with Sanwo-Olu.
Hamzat who stepped down for Sanwo-Olu after the latter got the support of the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu-led Mandate Movement, spoke on Tuesday, December 18, as a guest on ‘Arise Africa’, a programme on Arise TV.
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He said: “There are various things you have to consider in governance… we have to look at different parts of the state and when I looked at all of that, I realised that it is better for me to step down for Sanwo-Olu.
“I’ve known him for 15 years. I see him as a friend and a strong person that has the interest of the state at heart. Don’t forget that I was offered the position of the deputy governorship candidate four years ago, but I said no.
“So for me to take up the position now, it means I’m more comfortable working with him (Sanwo-Olu). I believe that together we can do a good job and take the state higher.”
The deputy governorship candidate, however, said he was delighted about the endorsement he and Sanwo-Olu received from Ambode.
Speaking on the friction in the party over the primaries’ result, Hamzat said: “It’s unique for a sitting governor of a state to be challenged, so this caused friction initially. But we understand that you can’t have democracy without democrats.
“The constitution says a governor shall govern for four years, which is renewable, and candidates can emerge from various parties. That was what happened and it is part of the democratic credentials we must build as a nation.”
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the candidate of the APC, Olufemi Nurudeen, on Tuesday, December 18, emerged winner of the Bariga Ward C (Orile Owode) councillorship by-election in Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos state.
Nurudeen polled 1,442 votes to defeat his only rival, Azeez Sunkanmi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 286 votes.
The Returning Officer, Adegboyega Oladiran, while announcing the results, said Nurudeen, the APC candidate, met the requirements to be declared winner and elected councillor.
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