Former Lagos State governorship candidate Funso Doherty has declared his intention to run again in the 2027 elections, expressing firm confidence that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) can be defeated in the state.
Funso Doherty made the announcement during an interview on Silverbird Television on Thursday, where he challenged the widely held notion that Lagos is an unbreakable APC stronghold.
Funso Doherty pointed to the 2023 presidential election results as clear evidence that this belief no longer holds true.
“In the last presidential election, who won Lagos? APC lost Lagos. That’s a fact,” he said. “The notion that Lagos is permanently tied to APC and cannot be dislodged is fundamentally flawed.”
The politician confirmed that he will again seek the governorship seat on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
“I will be in the race in 2027, by the grace of God, God willing, and God giving us life and strength, absolutely with the PDP,” Funso Doherty stated.
Funso Doherty maintained that the ultimate power to determine the outcome of the election rests with the electorate, not entrenched political structures.
“At the end of the day, in 2027, the decision people are going to make is whether they are faced with a strong candidate and what their options are,” he noted. “The people are going to decide it in 2027.”
On the national front, Doherty criticised the APC-led federal government for deepening economic hardship and widening ethnic divisions across the country.
“We are more divided today than we have ever been as a people,” he said. “Ethnic tensions are probably higher today than they were when this administration took over.”
He described Nigeria as a nation split between “a country of the few and a country of the many,” lamenting that while the government celebrates foreign reserves and exchange rate stability, millions of citizens face deteriorating living standards.
“When you talk about the quality of life of the people, education, health, income levels, poverty, you see that economically, we are in a very difficult place,” he stated.
Doherty also called for reforms to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of 2027, stressing the need for an Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, that adheres strictly to its own regulations.
“People are looking for an INEC that will follow its own rules,” he said. “Even if we don’t get an amendment of the Electoral Act, at least implement faithfully the act that we presently have.”
He added that overwhelming voter participation can still secure credible outcomes despite existing challenges with electoral integrity.
“If the people come out and 80 percent of them say this is the person I want, even today, that person will prevail,” he emphasised.
“We want to move away from a situation where people have to scream to make their votes count.”
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