2027: Sanwo-Olu challenges opposition to match APC ideas

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Photo: LASG

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has challenged opposition parties preparing for the 2027 elections to present alternative policies capable of competing with the All Progressives Congress’ record in Lagos and at the federal level.

Sanwo-Olu said voters should not be asked to support a change of government merely for the sake of change, arguing that the APC’s campaign would be built around continuity with what he described as its record of transformation.

The governor made the remarks on Tuesday while delivering the centenary anniversary lecture of the Yoruba Tennis Club in Onikan, Lagos.

He said the APC would defend the continuation of its development trajectory in Lagos and nationally, linking the argument to President Bola Tinubu’s bid to retain the Presidency in 2027.

Sanwo-Olu, who is the South-West Zonal Coordinator of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, said the opposition should demonstrate why its proposed alternative was better than what the APC had delivered.

“Our challenge to the opposition remains the same – to put forward credible ideas that can compete with ours, instead of seeking change for the sake of change.

“Untested novelty is no longer an option for a Lagos State that has tasted and felt the superiority of continuity,” he said.

The governor said the same argument would feature in the APC’s national campaign, as he defended the reforms of the Tinubu administration and urged voters to assess them alongside the party’s record in Lagos.

“And also, at the national level where our own Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, will be flying the flag of our All Progressives Congress as the presidential candidate,” Sanwo-Olu said.

He argued that the continuity of successive administrations had been responsible for sustaining Lagos’ development blueprint since the return of democracy in 1999.

According to him, the blueprint initiated under Tinubu’s administration as Lagos governor had been retained by subsequent governments, producing projects such as the Blue and Red rail lines.

“In 1999, when democracy returned, this state did something remarkable and rare. It crafted a blueprint – the brainchild of the then Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his brilliant team of technocrats.

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“Every governor who has followed has faithfully built on that blueprint. It’s been 27 years now, and we have not departed from the original vision,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu presented continuity as one of the defining features of what he called the “Lagos Playbook” alongside vision, self-reliance and partnership.

He said the state’s ability to generate its own revenue and fund infrastructure had demonstrated the value of sustained policy direction, recalling the long-running political and fiscal disputes between Lagos and the Federal Government.

“When the Federal Government vindictively closed its purse to us, Lagos did not become a beggar. It turned to its own people,” he said.

The governor also used the occasion to defend his administration’s record, citing investments in transportation, education, health, technology, agriculture and infrastructure under its THEMES+ agenda.

He said his administration had established two public universities, built the Imota Rice Mill, attracted investments in submarine cable landings and data centres, and commenced the development of a children’s hospital and the Lagos Central Food Security System and Logistics Hub.

Sanwo-Olu said the ultimate test of governance, however, should be its effect on ordinary residents.

“The true measure of our work in Lagos is whether a doctor or nurse in Alimosho or Ibeju-Lekki can get to work on time, whether a child in Ajegunle has a desk and school books, whether a trader in Mile 12 can get her tomatoes or fish to market before they rot,” he said.

The governor’s remarks come as political parties and aspirants intensify preparations for the 2027 elections, with the APC expected to defend its control of Lagos and its hold on the Federal Government.

The event also featured the unveiling of the Yoruba Tennis Club’s centenary history book, the foundation-laying ceremony for its proposed Legacy Building and an exhibition of historical and archival materials.

The club’s chairman, Olawunmi Gasper, commended Sanwo-Olu’s administration for its infrastructure and development initiatives and described the centenary celebration as an opportunity to examine the relationship between democracy, governance and Lagos’ development.