Obafemi Hamzat, deputy governor of Lagos state and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2027 election, says he had never met Damilola James before the party selected her as his running mate.
Hamzat said although he outlined the qualities he wanted in
a deputy governorship candidate, he had no prior relationship with
Sonayon-James before her emergence.
He spoke on Thursday at the public presentation of Who Is
She?, a book written by James.
According to Hamzat, President Bola Tinubu delegated the
responsibility of choosing his running mate to the Lagos APC after agreeing
that the position should go to a young woman.
“The president called me and said, ‘You guys go and sort it
out.’ I said, ‘Sir, I think it should be a female.’ He said, ‘It’s okay.’ I
said, ‘It should be young.’ He said, ‘It’s okay,’” he said.
Hamzat said the party also considered Lagos’ zoning
arrangement during the selection process.
He said since he is from Lagos east and Babajide Sanwo-Olu,
governor of the state, is from Lagos central, the deputy governorship candidate
had to emerge from Lagos west.
“Until Damilola was selected, I didn’t know her phone
number. I got her phone number from somebody,” he said.
Hamzat said James was selected based on merit, describing
her as a grassroots politician with a track record of community service.
“The important thing is that she’s been very active in the
community. She’s been doing great things,” he said.
The deputy governor also encouraged young women not to lose
hope in Nigeria, saying the country still offers opportunities for those
willing to contribute to public service.
James, the Lagos APC deputy woman leader and a native of
Badagry, was unveiled earlier as Hamzat’s running mate for the 2027
governorship election after what the party described as extensive consultations
and a rigorous selection process.
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