With the Lagos 2027 governorship race entering its most decisive phase, the All Progressives Congress is quietly shopping for a running mate to pair with Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat as its consensus candidate, even as a wave of endorsements and grassroots mobilisation continues to sweep across the state in his favour.

Hamzat, who was last weekend cleared by the APC Governorship Screening Committee in Abuja after submitting all required documents and credentials, has received an unprecedented show of political force from virtually every major power centre in Lagos. President Bola Tinubu personally endorsed him at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on April 29, following an earlier unanimous adoption by the influential Governance Advisory Council, the apex decision-making body of the Lagos APC, led by Prince Tajudeen Olusi. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term, also broke the long-standing convention by publicly endorsing his deputy as his preferred successor, describing him as deeply familiar with the workings of government.

The endorsements have since cascaded beyond the top of the party structure. The Nigerian Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress in Lagos both declared support for Hamzat’s candidacy during the Workers’ Day celebration, with NLC Chairperson Comrade Funmi Sessi describing him as “loyal, competent, tested and trusted.” APC stakeholders across key constituencies, including Alimosho, Eti-Osa and several other local government areas, have held mass rallies and town hall meetings to formally back his ticket, with Alimosho described as a critical voting bloc that must be fully mobilised ahead of the February 2027 poll.

Former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode also congratulated Hamzat on his emergence as consensus candidate, while the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, pledged to galvanise his own political structure toward securing victory at the polls.

With the governorship side of the ticket all but settled, attention is now turning to the question of who will serve as Hamzat’s deputy. A coalition of Lagos indigenes’ advocacy groups has put forward Boladale Dapo-Thomas, the Chairperson of the Lagos State Civil Service Commission, as a strong running mate candidate. The groups argue that Dapo-Thomas brings decades of institutional knowledge, a record of steady progression through the state’s civil service, and broad relevance to public sector reform, qualities they say are essential in a deputy to a technocratic governor-in-waiting.

They have also pointed to the growing demand for female representation at the highest levels of governance in the state. There has been no official response from Hamzat’s camp, though political analysts say such calls from organised groups often carry weight in the APC’s internal deliberations.

An organic citizen movement, KOHmmunity, has meanwhile been spreading rapidly across Lagos, with over 5,000 residents already registered on its platform. The group, which operates independently of the formal campaign apparatus and cuts across tech clusters, university communities and markets, signals that Hamzat’s support is not merely elite-driven. With the APC governorship primary scheduled for May 21, the party’s full machinery is now being deployed to deliver what its leadership hopes will be yet another dominant Lagos election cycle.