As the much anticipated 2027 general election draws nearer in Lagos State, former governor Akinwunmi Ambode is re-emerging in political calculations, with party power brokers said to be working to defer Seyi Tinubu’s governorship ambition to 2031.
With a number of well-known candidates, new power blocs, and an increasingly vocal electorate weighing in on the state’s future leadership, the race is expected to be among the most competitive in recent memory.
Many youth and expatriate organisations are promoting Seyi Tinubu, 40, the son of President Bola Tinubu, as a possible candidate for the governorship of Lagos State.
He was encouraged to declare his interest in the race last year by groups including The Future Platform, the Coalition of Nigerian Youth Leaders, and several Nigerian communities living abroad.
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According to reports, the development put the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) in a difficult position because Seyi Tinubu hasn’t made his intention public or gotten his father’s support.
It is anticipated that Lagos State would have a new governor by 2027 since Babajide Sanwo-Olu will be serving out his second term, which is authorised under the constitution.
However, there are talks that the power brokers in the state are considering Ambode to return and complete his second tenure to pave way for Seyi Tinubu in 2031.
Before the 2019 election, Ambode had a falling out with Tinubu and the leaders of the Lagos APC. As a result, Ambode was denied the APC ticket and lost the party’s primary to Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who went on to win the governorship vote.
According to sources, the GAC members are currently attempting to postpone Seyi Tinubu’s bid for governor until 2031, citing the necessity of party continuity and strategic planning.
“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 our reporter.
Former governors and deputy governors, former speakers of the Lagos State House of Assembly, current and former senators, and esteemed elder statesmen and women make up the GAC, a potent 30-member political organisation headed by Prince Tajudeen Olusi and founded by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his time as Lagos State governor in 1999.
The rise of former governors Babatunde Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode, as well as later Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, was significantly influenced by the GAC.
A trustworthy insider claims that if President Tinubu is re-elected in 2027, he will finish his term by 2031, at which point Seyi Tinubu is anticipated to enter the Lagos governorship contest in order to continue his political legacy.
According to a different source, the Epe district’s resentment at the events leading up to Ambode’s removal from office was the cause.
Ikorodu, Badagry, Ikeja, Lagos Island, and Epe are the five districts that make up Lagos State’s administrative division, which is referred to as IBILE.
Notably, only Ambode, from Epe, was denied a second term; previous Lagos governors Tinubu, Fashola, and Sanwo-Olu all came from Lagos Island and served out their two mandates.
Stakeholders in Epe are dissatisfied with the way their local son, Ambode, was ousted from office as a result of this.
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Although Tinubu later rewarded Epe with the appointment of Tunji Alausa as Health Minister and later, Education Minister, the people are still demanding that the zone should be allowed to complete its term.
Alausa or Ambode should replace incumbent Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in 2027, according to stakeholders who allege Epe has been politically marginalised.
In an interview with news correspondents, a prominent APC stakeholder in Ogba, Ikeja, who wished to remain anonymous, stated, “The idea is not to sideline Seyi Tinubu but to ensure he has a more stable runway.”
“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 mobilize 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.
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