5 Politicians Who May Succeed Sanwo-Olu as Lagos Governor in 2027
- The Lagos political scene is buzzing as talks about Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s successor begin to surface
- Ahead of the 2027 general elections, names like Mudashiru Obasa, Funso Doherty, and Abdul-Azeez Adediran are quietly entering discussions
- Other names, like Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and Femi Gbajabiamila, the chief of staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, are also being mentioned as potential candidates
TheTalk.NG journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering public affairs.
Ikeja, Lagos state – Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state, will complete his constitutionally-allowed eight years in office in May 2027.
In this report, TheTalk.NG highlights the potential successors of the 59-year-old.
Photo credits: @GRVlagos, @funsodoherty, @mudashiru_obasaSource: Twitter
1) Mudashiru Obasa
Obasa is the current speaker of the Lagos state house of assembly, a position he has held since 2015.
He is a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In 1999, Obasa contested the councillor seat at Agege local government under the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and won. He served between 1999 and 2002.
He was elected to the Lagos state house of assembly, representing Agege Constituency I in 2007 and reelected in 2011, 2015 2019, and 2023.
In November 2024, Obasa commented about being qualified to contest for Lagos’ governor. The speaker said he did not lack the experience to contest the governorship race in the state in the 2027 general election, even though he noted that he had not given serious thought about becoming the next governor “as was already being speculated.”
2) Femi Gbajabiamila
Gbajabiamila is the chief of staff (CoS) to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He previously served as the 14th speaker of the house of representatives – from 2019 to 2023.
Although he said he did not have time to think of governorship ambition in Lagos State for now, political observers are not ruling him out.
3) Funso Doherty
In the 2023 Lagos election, Doherty vied unsuccessfully for governor under the platform of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC).
In July 2024, he left the party to team up with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a statement, Doherty said he joined the PDP to present a united front to unseat the APC.
He said:
“After extensive consultations, it is with humility and great expectations for Lagos state’s future that I announce that I have joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“This phase of our journey stems from our belief that Lagos needs a strong, credible alternative to the exclusionary and extractive governance model that has dominated since 1999.”
4) Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour
Rhodes-Vivour, also known as GRV, is an architect, entrepreneur, and politician.
He was the gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party (LP) for Lagos state in the 2023 governorship election where he finished runner-up, losing to incumbent governor, Sanwo-Olu. He was the senatorial candidate of the PDP for the Lagos West senatorial district in the 2019 senate elections.
Rhodes-Vivour was initially one of the governorship nominees gearing up to contest under the PDP but pulled out just before the primary election was held in 2022. He then joined the LP where he has remained to date.
5) Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran
Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, practiced journalism before venturing into politics. He is the leader of the Lagos4Lagos movement and the Lagos state governorship candidate under the PDP in 2023.
In his early political years, Jandor was a member of the APC. He eventually defected to the PDP and flew the party’s flag during the 2023 governorship poll. Jandor came third in the election.
Lagos 2027: PDP rejects Seyi Tinubu
Earlier, TheTalk.NG reported that the Lagos state chapter of the PDP rejected the alleged gubernatorial interest of Seyi Tinubu, son of President Tinubu.
In an interview, Hakeem Amode, the Lagos PDP spokesperson, criticised the alleged gubernatorial move, adding that non-indigenes should not be allowed to govern Lagos state.
The PDP official stressed that if the Tinubu camp were to resort to tactics similar to those used in Ondo and Edo states in the past, it would be met with resistance.
Source: TheTalk.NG
