Hamzat, however, admitted that he suggested his running mate for the Lagos State 2027 gubernatorial election should be a young woman.
By Kehinde Okeowo
All Progressives Congress (APC) 2027 governorship candidate, Obafemi Hamzat, has insisted that his running mate, Damilola Sonayon-James, was picked based on her competence, claiming he had never met or talked to her before the party chose her for the role.
The Lagos State Deputy Governor made this known recently at the Syrian Club Event Centre in the Ikoyi area of the state during Sonayon-James’ public presentation, tagged “Who Is She?”.
Speaking at the event, Hamzat said that the choice of his deputy governorship candidate was arrived at after discussions within the Lagos APC, following President Bola Tinubu’s request for the state chapter to select the candidate.
He, however, admitted that he suggested his running mate should be a young woman, adding that the President agreed with the idea when they spoke.
”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 said, ‘It should be young.’ He said, ‘It’s okay,'” Hamzat said.
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Stressing that he did not have a personal relationship with Sonayon-James before her selection, the Deputy Governor argued that the party reached the decision after taking the state’s zoning plan into account.
He went on to say that since he hails from Lagos East and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is from Lagos Central, people expected the deputy governor position to go to Lagos West.
”Until Damilola was chosen, I didn’t know her phone number. I got her phone number from somebody,” he said.
Sonayon-James, who comes from Badagry, currently serves as the Deputy Woman Leader of the Lagos chapter of the APC.
