Lagos APC Ticket Battle Looms as Jandor Rejects Hamzat Coronation

A fresh contest may be brewing in the Lagos chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as governorship aspirant Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, has rejected suggestions that Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat’s endorsement has settled the race for the party’s 2027 ticket.

Jandor said he remains committed to contesting the governorship primary despite Hamzat’s adoption by the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) and the backing of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Responding to the endorsement, Jandor said he respects the governor’s decision to support a preferred aspirant but argued that endorsements do not replace the party’s established nomination process.

“I respect the constitutional and political right of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to endorse an aspirant of his choice,” he said.

He, however, maintained that the APC had not announced any departure from its earlier position that candidates for the 2027 general election would emerge through direct primaries.

“However, it should be noted that the leadership of the party is yet to formally communicate a change of its position that the candidates of the party for the 2027 general elections will be chosen through direct primaries,” Jandor said.

The development follows Hamzat’s presentation as consensus candidate by the GAC, the highest decision-making body of the Lagos APC.

At a gathering of party leaders, GAC Chairman Tajudeen Olusi publicly declared support for the deputy governor.

“We have adopted our one and only Dr Obafemi Hamzat, the current Deputy Governor of our state, as the consensus candidate of our party and we have all pledged to stand by him,” Olusi said.

Sanwo-Olu also announced that GAC members had agreed to contribute funds to purchase Hamzat’s nomination forms, a move seen by many party observers as a strong signal of elite support behind the deputy governor.

But Jandor said his position should not be interpreted as a challenge to party leadership or opposition to Hamzat’s supporters.

“My position does not, in any way, amount to opposition to respected party leaders who have publicly declared their support for Dr Hamzat,” he said.

Rather, he framed his insistence on joining the primary as a defence of internal party democracy.

Jandor, who contested the 2023 governorship election as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate before moving to the APC, has emerged as one of the early figures positioning for the Lagos race.

His refusal to step aside despite Hamzat’s endorsement sets the stage for what could become a major contest over the APC ticket, unless party leaders move to enforce consensus ahead of the primaries.