James Faleke, a member of the House of Representatives, has backed Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat to succeed Babajide Sanwo-Olu as governor of Lagos State.
In a post on social media on Friday, Faleke, who chairs the House of Representatives Committee on Finance, asked Lagosians to support Hamzat in the 2027 general election.
“As we prepare for Party primaries next month, I urge all our supporters in Ikeja Federal Constituency and Lagos state to support Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat as the next Governor of Lagos state from 2027-2035 IJN. Amen,” Faleke, who represents Ikeja federal constituency, wrote.
Sources within the All Progressives Congress (APC) say Hamzat is the preferred aspirant of the Governors’ Advisory Council (GAC), regarded as the highest decision-making organ of the party in Lagos.
Hamzat is also a long-standing member and influential figure within the Justice Forum (JF), one of the two dominant political caucuses within the Lagos APC.
The group was co-founded by his late father Oba Olatunji Hamzat who was the leader of the Justice Forum until his death in 2019.
Some of the earliest meetings to establish the group took place at his father’s home in Ogba, Lagos.
Faleke is the coordinator of the Justice Forum.
Other prominent members are GAC chairman Tajudeen Olusi, former Lagos APC chairman Henry Ajomale, and former deputy governors Sarah Sosan and Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire.
Within the internal power structure of the Lagos APC, Hamzat is widely seen as a representative of the Justice Forum’s interests, often balancing the influence of the rival Mandate Group.
Leading up to the APC primary for the 2019 Lagos State governorship election, Hamzat withdrew his candidacy on September 29, 2018, days before the primary, and publicly endorsed Sanwo-Olu.
Hamzat stated that his decision was for the “greater good” of Lagos and based on the counsel of his political mentors.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed April 23 to May 30 for political parties to conduct primaries and nominate candidates for the 2027 elections.
The governorship and state houses of assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.
No deputy governor has ever assumed the office of governor in the history of Lagos State.
