Silently Waiting for Tinubu’s 2027 Nod for Lagos Politics
The most important conversation in Lagos politics is happening in complete silence. It’s the internal calculus of who President Bola Tinubu will choose as the party’s next governorship candidate in 2027.
As of early 2026, no official anointment has been made. The decision is widely understood to reside with the powerful, unelected Governance Advisory Council (GAC), whose deliberation will shape the race. Currently, Seyi Tinubu is the most intriguing variable. The President’s son has visible youth endorsements but no declared bid. He is a potential “wildcard,” though some strategists quietly float him as a 2031 option, needing more political seasoning. Akinwunmi Ambode, former Lagos state governor, has re-emerged in political calculations ahead of the 2027 elections, as indications point to a possible return to frontline politics. Sources familiar with ongoing developments say renewed consultations and behind-the-scenes engagements have placed Ambode back in strategic discussions, with his name increasingly circulating within key political circles as permutations for 2027 gradually take shape. He remains polarising because he was denied a second term in 2019. Therefore, his candidacy tests whether past grievances can be set aside for a perceived “safe pair of hands.”
Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila is another formidable contender. His deep federal network and closeness to the President are major assets. However, his current role is so critical in Abuja that a move to Lagos governance is not a guaranteed transition.
There is also Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, whose survival of the recent impeachment saga demonstrates his resilience and control over the legislative house, a key power base. His ambition, while largely unspoken, is only an open secret.
Other names like Deputy Governor Kadri Hamzat and Senator Tokunbo Abiru circulate, but they currently lack the decisive coalition of the frontrunners, according to street commentators. And though each carries political weight, the final calculus will balance loyalty, electability, and regional appeasement.
On the other side of the development is the President’s reticence, itself a strategy. A premature choice could fracture the party, so the GAC’s method is one of consensus, a slow alignment of various interests until a single name emerges with the least resistance.
The resulting outcome is a peculiar limbo, where ambitious politicians must project public confidence while privately manoeuvring, their fate hinging on a nod that may not come until the politically expedient moment, turning the pre-campaign into a high-stakes audition of patience and loyalty.
