Lagos Succession Drama: GAC Chairman Olusi Declares Hamzat ‘Incoming Governor’

Pa Tajudeen Olusi, the powerful chairman of Lagos’s Governance Advisory Council (GAC) and a close ally of President Tinubu, has publicly and repeatedly referred to Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat as the “incoming Governor of Lagos” — the clearest signal yet that Hamzat is the anointed successor to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Speaking at the General Assembly of Indigenous Associations in Lagos State, hosted by the IBILE Eko Summit Foundation at the MUSON Centre in Onikan, Olusi made the declaration multiple times during his address, drawing visible reactions from delegates given what it means for 2027 succession politics.

“Our incoming Governor”

Olusi described Hamzat explicitly as “our incoming Governor of Lagos” — not once, but repeatedly. He also reinforced Hamzat’s indigenous standing, describing him as a “cousin from Egbe,” a remark he said many people were previously unaware of, and one he presented as further proof of Hamzat’s roots within the state’s traditional and political structures.

The event was attended by former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, and President of the IBILE Eko Summit Foundation, Olasupo Shasore (SAN), a former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.

The GAC’s word is law in Lagos

When the GAC chairman speaks in Lagos politics, the party listens. The GAC is the inner caucus that has shaped every major political decision in the state since Tinubu’s governorship. Olusi’s words are not casual remarks — they are signals, and they carry the full weight of the political establishment behind them.

Hamzat has been building his position for months, holding GAC consultations and consolidating support. But Olusi’s public declaration is a different thing entirely. This is not backroom manoeuvring or strategic leaks — it is a public coronation in everything but name.

For Sanwo-Olu, the implications are uncomfortable. The governor still has nearly two years left in his term, and the open discussion of his successor by his own party’s kingmaker suggests the establishment’s focus has already shifted beyond him.

The Lagos governorship race was always going to be contested. Olusi’s declaration makes it clear: the establishment has chosen, and everyone else needs to fall in line.

Sources: NaijaNews, Daily Post, Politics Nigeria, Vanguard