Lagos State Deputy Governor and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2027 election, Obafemi Hamzat, says President Bola Tinubu’s chances of securing re-election are “far, far better” than in 2023. Hamzat made the remarks during an interview on TVC News’ Journalists’ Hangout on Monday, September 14, while……
Lagos State Deputy Governor and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2027 election, Obafemi Hamzat, says President Bola Tinubu’s chances of securing re-election are “far, far better” than in 2023.
Hamzat made the remarks during an interview on TVC News’ Journalists’ Hangout on Monday, September 14, while assessing the president’s prospects ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The deputy governor said the political dynamics that shaped the 2023 presidential election had changed, arguing that Nigerians now had the opportunity to assess Tinubu based on his record in office.
According to him, religious considerations that affected the president’s electoral prospects in 2023 had reduced, with Nigerians now seeing that Tinubu’s appointments and policies were not driven by religious or ethnic considerations.
“In 2023, we have at the national level, when the president won the primaries of our party, I think it’s a calculation of their own,” Hamzat said.
He explained that Tinubu faced concerns over his religion and regional identity, particularly because he was a Muslim candidate from the South in a country where the South-South and South-East have predominantly Christian populations.
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“So in the South, if you are a Muslim candidate as a president, you are a minority. So the challenge is, can you appeal minorities?” he said.
Hamzat, however, argued that Tinubu’s actions in office had demonstrated that his religious identity had not determined government policies or appointments.
“Our president is somebody that looks for credible people, that looks for intelligent people. He’s blinded to your ethnicity. He’s blinded to your religion,” he said.
He cited the president’s appointments as evidence, noting that criticisms had previously focused on the religious identities of some key officials, including the Minister of Finance and the Central Bank governor.
According to Hamzat, the political situation is now different because Tinubu is seeking another term with a record in government that he can defend.
“It’s the president. He has records that he can defend. And then, of course, the issue of religion, I think, has gone down. People see that we are all together,” he said.
The APC governorship candidate also used Lagos as an example of how religious cooperation could work, noting that he is a Muslim but regularly attends Christian gatherings.
“I’m a candidate of the party. I’m a Muslim. But you see me going to churches. That is how Lagos is,” Hamzat said.
He referred to the Lagos State chapter of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), where Christian and Muslim leaders meet to deliberate on issues affecting the state.
Hamzat recalled the controversy surrounding an autopsy-related rule, saying the Muslim community initially opposed it because of the need to bury the dead promptly.
He said the issue was eventually resolved through discussions between Christian and Muslim representatives at NIREC.
“The Muslim community did not like that. We need to bury our dead immediately. But it was at NYREC that we sat down, Christian, Muslim, and said, okay, let’s look at it,” he said.
Hamzat maintained that the same principle of religious and ethnic inclusion was being demonstrated by the Tinubu administration, insisting that more Nigerians were beginning to recognise this.
“So that is the way we should run our country. And that’s what the president has been doing. And I think a lot of Nigerians have seen that,” he said.
He consequently expressed confidence that Tinubu would perform better electorally in 2027 than he did in 2023, particularly in Lagos State.
“So I think the chances are far, far, far better,” Hamzat said.
