Peter Dansu Lagos State Deputy Governor and the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate for the 2027 election, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat,...
Peter Dansu
Lagos State Deputy Governor and the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate for the 2027 election, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, has revealed that he had never met nor possessed the phone number of Princess Damilola Sonayon James until she emerged as his running mate.
Hamzat made the disclosure on Thursday during the public presentation of Who Is She? at the Syrian Club Event Centre in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he shared details of the extensive consultations and decision-making process that produced the Badagry-born politician as the APC deputy governorship candidate.
According to him, although he contributed to outlining the qualities the party desired in a running mate, Sonayon James was not someone he had any personal relationship with before her emergence.
Recalling the process, Hamzat said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed party leaders to resolve the choice among themselves after he suggested that the deputy governorship candidate should be a woman and a young person.
"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 also said it should be young, and he agreed," Hamzat recounted.
He explained that the party also considered the state's political balance during the selection process.
"We said the candidate should not come from the East because I'm from the East. The current governor is from the Central, so it couldn't be from the Central either. It had to be from the West," he said.
Hamzat noted that despite eventually becoming his running mate, he did not even have Sonayon James' contact before her nomination.
"Until Damilola was chosen, I didn't know her phone number. I got her phone number from somebody," he said.
He stressed, however, that what distinguished her was not personal familiarity but her outstanding record of service, grassroots engagement and commitment to community development.
"The important thing is that she's been very active in the community. She's been doing great things," Hamzat said.
The APC governorship candidate also encouraged young women to remain optimistic about Nigeria, urging them not to be discouraged by negative narratives about the country.
"Our young ladies, when you listen to television, you hear all sorts of negative things about this country. Don't believe it. Opportunities still exist for those willing to contribute positively to society," he said.
Princess Damilola Sonayon James, an indigene of Badagry and the APC Deputy Woman Leader in Lagos State, was recently unveiled as Hamzat's running mate for the 2027 governorship election.
The Lagos APC said she emerged after extensive consultations and a rigorous selection process that assessed competence, grassroots acceptance, loyalty to the party and leadership capacity.
State APC Chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, described Sonayon James as a leader with proven experience across the public, private and political sectors, adding that the Hamzat–Sonayon James ticket represents a blend of experience, innovation and strong grassroots connection ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
No comments