Astounding Womanhood of  Damilola James

Princess Damilola James is marking another birthday, and it comes at a defining moment in her career. At 42, she is the APC’s deputy governorship candidate in Lagos State, running alongside Dr. Obafemi Hamzat ahead of the 2027 election.

The princess’s nomination is historic on two counts. She is the youngest person ever picked for that office in Lagos, and she could become the first person from the Badagry axis to serve as deputy governor since Lagos State was created in 1967.

Born into the royal Kweme Kingdom lineage, the princess chose grassroots work over palace comfort. She served as Supervisory Councillor for Agriculture and Social Services in Badagry West LCDA, where she pushed through solar-powered street lighting for communities long overlooked.

Outside politics, she built a career as a certified ESG and risk expert, consulting for major corporate names including Bolt Nigeria. In 2020, she sat on the technical committee that reworked the Lagos State Youth Policy to match United Nations inclusion standards.

Her path was not always smooth. Princess Damilola was once passed over for key local government appointments, yet she stayed loyal to the party rather than walk away. That patience earned her the nickname “Sisi Eko of APC” and eventually the backing of the Governance Advisory Committee and President Bola Tinubu himself.

In 2026, her dual expertise in governance and sustainability was recognised nationally when she won an award at the Nigerian Risk Awards.

As she turns a new age, Princess Damilola represents something Lagos politics rarely produces: a young woman from a long-ignored region, armed with both royal heritage and technocratic credibility, standing one election away from making history.