Olushola Omogbehin
As political permutation towards 2027 general election of Lagos State gains momentum each day and the re-appearance of the former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in the political calculation, the party stakeholders have been working to defer Seyi Tinubu’s governorship ambition to 2031.
With the occupant of the seat of power in Alausa, gradually becoming one of the most keenly contested in recent times with high-profile individual showing interest in leading the commercial city, Seyi Tinubu, the son of President Bola Tinubu is being promoted by many youth as a potential candidate for the number one seat in 2027.
Before now, many groups such as the Coalition of Nigerian Youth Leaders, The Future Platform, and segments of Nigerian communities abroad have come out urging him to declare his interest in the race.
But Seyi is yet to officially declared his ambition nor received any public support from his father on the matter.
However, as the state is preparing for another election in 2027 when Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu would have completed his second term in office, reports are beginning to emerge that stakeholders in the state are considering the return of Ambode to complete his second tenure.
According to a reliable source, Governance Advisory Council members are now said to be working to delay Seyi Tinubu’s governorship bid to 2031.
Seyi as the source revealed, has been advised to keep a low profile to concentrate on his father’s bid for a second term despite his own interest to become the governor of Lagos State.
“The party leadership viewed his ambition as a potential distraction to his father’s second-term dream, given the growing opposition to the current government,” Segun Badejo, an APC chieftain in Gbagada, told DAILY POST reporter.
According to DAILY POST report, if President Tinubu is re-elected in 2027, he would complete his tenure by 2031, and to sustain his political legacy, Seyi Tinubu is expected to step into the Lagos governorship race by then.
GAC is a body established by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his tenure as Lagos State governor in 1999. Led by Prince Tajudeen Olusi, it is made up of former governors and deputy governors, past speakers of the Lagos State House of Assembly, former and serving senators, and respected elder across the state.
Ambode, being the only governor from Epe, was not allowed a second term in office which made notable Epe sons and daughters to call for political inclusion by demanding that the zone be allowed to complete its term with a native governor.
“Epe has been politically marginalised, and the people are adamant that either Alausa or Ambode should succeed Sanwo-Olu in 2027,” a senior APC stakeholder in Ogba, Ikeja, revealed.
The source disclosed that the power brokers’ decision is not meant to sideline Seyi Tinubu but instead, to making sure that he has a smooth sail when he enters the race in 2031.
“The party does not want a repeat of what happened in 2023 when the Labour Party defeated Tinubu in the state. Seyi needs to concentrate and mobilise the youth front for his father. Going for governorship would divide attention, and that would also lead to public outcry.
“You know Nigeria is a very funny country, they may not stand the father as a president and his son as a governor. Right now, the consensus is that Ambode or Alausa has a better chance of carrying the party in 2027,” the source added.
Already, the road to Alausa in 2027 is so crowded with top contender such as the Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, the state assembly speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, Tokunbo Abiru, and Abdul-Azeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor.
In order to balance the political equation in the state since 1999, APC will have to field a governorship candidate from Lagos West Senatorial district because the region has been marginalized as regards the governorship seat.
A political experts, Edafe Oghenebrume believe APC must do this so as not to have electoral challenges.
“If Lagos APC fails to field a governorship candidate from Lagos West Senatorial district, there might be electoral challenges because since the emergence of democratic rule in 1999, West has been marginalized as regards the governorship seat,” he warned.
