BREAKING: Hamzat Didn’t Know Running Mate Until APC Picked Her

The Lagos State Deputy Governor and All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Obafemi Hamzat, has disclosed that he had no prior personal relationship with his running mate, Damilola Sonayon-James, before the party selected her as his deputy for the 2027 governorship election. Hamzat made the revelation on Thursday during the public presentation of Who Is She?, an event held at the Syrian Club Event Centre in Ikoyi, Lagos. According to Hamzat, although he played a role in defining the qualities the party should look for in a running mate, he had never personally interacted with Sonayon-James until after her emergence. He admitted that he did not even have her phone number at the time of her selection and had to obtain it from a third party.

The selection process was shaped by recommendations that received the approval of President Bola Tinubu. Hamzat explained that the President delegated the responsibility of selecting the deputy governorship candidate to party leaders after agreeing with his proposal that the position should go to a young woman. “The President called me and said, you guys go and sort it out, and I’m quoting him. I said, sir, I think it should be a female. He said, it’s okay. It should be young. He said, it’s okay,” Hamzat recounted.

The selection process also took into consideration the state’s political balancing and zoning arrangement. Since Hamzat hails from the Lagos East Senatorial District and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu comes from the Lagos Central District, the running mate had to be chosen from the Lagos West District. “We now said, okay, but we must also make sure it’s not from the east, because I’m from the east. And then the current governor is from the central, so it cannot be from central. It must be from the west,” Hamzat explained.

Despite the careful selection process, Hamzat admitted that Sonayon-James was a complete stranger to him before her emergence. “But my point is that until Damilola was elected, I don’t know her phone number. I got her phone number from somebody,” he said. The deputy governor, however, emphasised that what mattered most was her record of service and commitment to grassroots development. He described her as an active community leader who has been doing great things for her people. “But what is the important thing? The important thing is that she’s been very active in the community. She’s been doing great things,” Hamzat said.

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Hamzat also took the opportunity to encourage young women to remain optimistic about opportunities in Nigeria, urging them not to be discouraged by negative narratives about the country. “So, our young ladies, you know, if you listen on television, you hear all sorts of negative things about this country. Don’t believe it. Don’t believe it,” he said.

The Lagos State chapter of the APC officially announced Damilola Sonayon-James, the party’s Deputy Woman Leader, as Hamzat’s running mate for the 2027 governorship election in June 2026. Her nomination received the endorsement of President Bola Tinubu and the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) , the apex decision-making body of the APC in Lagos State. APC Chairman Cornelius Ojelabi said Sonayon-James emerged after extensive consultations and a rigorous selection process that considered competence, leadership capacity, grassroots acceptance, party loyalty, and the ability to contribute meaningfully to the continued development of Lagos State.

According to Ojelabi, Sonayon-James is a 41-year-old accomplished governance and development professional with over 15 years of experience spanning public policy, institutional development, sustainability, risk governance, human capital strategy, stakeholder engagement, and community development. She previously served as Supervisor for Agriculture and Social Services in Badagry-West Local Council Development Area, where she championed initiatives focused on agricultural development, women empowerment, youth inclusion, educational support, community welfare, and social intervention programmes. The Badagry-born politician is widely respected for her grassroots engagement and dedication to community development. Ojelabi described the Hamzat-Sonayon-James ticket as a blend of experience, innovation, grassroots connection, and visionary leadership capable of advancing the developmental aspirations of Lagos residents.

Hamzat secured the APC governorship ticket on May 21, 2026, polling 657,917 votes out of 657,974 accredited votes cast, while his sole challenger, Lanre Jim-Kamal, secured only one vote. His emergence is historic, as no deputy governor in the history of Lagos State has ever successfully contested to succeed their principal. Having served as Sanwo-Olu’s deputy since 2019, Hamzat is also the first deputy governor to serve two consecutive terms in the state since the return of democracy in 1999. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has officially unveiled the Hamzat-Sonayon-James ticket, describing the duo as a leadership team capable of sustaining and expanding development across Lagos State. Sanwo-Olu praised Sonayon-James as a sustainability expert and grassroots development advocate whose commitment to community development and youth empowerment reflects the aspirations of many Lagosians.

BREAKING: Hamzat Didn’t Know Running Mate Until APC Picked Her

INEC recognises David Mark-led ADC, validates Atiku’s candidacy

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that it will recognise only the candidates submitted by the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 general elections, effectively clearing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and 470 other candidates to contest on the party’s platform.

The electoral commission’s clarification settles, for now, the dispute over which faction of the ADC is authorised to submit candidates for the 2027 polls, even as legal battles over the party’s internal leadership continue.

Speaking on the development, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed that the commission granted the David Mark-led leadership access to its secure candidate nomination portal following a Supreme Court judgment affirming the faction’s leadership of the party.

According to Haruna, the recognised leadership has already uploaded candidates for 471 elective positions, comprising two presidential candidates, 109 senatorial candidates, and 360 House of Representatives candidates.

“Yes, we gave the Mark-led faction the code based on the recent Supreme Court judgment that affirmed his leadership of the party, and the faction has since submitted most of its candidates for a total of 471—presidential (2), senatorial (109) and House of Representatives (360) constituencies,” Haruna said.

He added that the Supreme Court did not authorise INEC to receive nominations from the rival faction, stressing that the group had already lost its appeal seeking recognition.

“The court, however, did not say we should accept any submissions by the rival faction which, in any case, had lost its appeal for recognition,” he stated.

Haruna further disclosed that the commission would carefully study the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the latest Court of Appeal judgment before taking an official position on its implications for the party’s internal affairs.

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According to him, INEC will only make a formal decision after examining the details of the appellate court’s ruling.

The clarification followed claims by the rival ADC faction led by Nafiu Bala Gombe, which alleged that it had obtained access to INEC’s nomination portal and successfully uploaded candidates for the 2027 elections.

Reacting, the ADC welcomed INEC’s position and accused the rival faction of attempting to mislead Nigerians by circulating forged documents.

In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said INEC had confirmed that the document circulated by the rival faction claiming access to the commission’s nomination portal was forged.

According to the party, falsely claiming access to INEC’s restricted nomination platform is a serious offence capable of undermining public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.

The party therefore urged INEC and security agencies to investigate those behind the alleged forgery and prosecute anyone found culpable in accordance with the law.

The development comes shortly after the Court of Appeal upheld an earlier Federal High Court judgment restraining INEC from recognising state congresses conducted by committees appointed by the David Mark-led caretaker leadership of the ADC.

However, the party maintained that the appellate court’s decision relates only to the conduct of ward, local government and state congresses, insisting that it has no effect on the direct primary elections through which its presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives candidates emerged.

The ADC said the ruling does not invalidate the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate or affect the validity of candidates already nominated for the 2027 elections.

Political observers say INEC’s latest clarification provides greater certainty over the party’s candidate nomination process, although the broader legal dispute over the ADC’s leadership structure is expected to continue in court.

With the nomination process now largely concluded, attention is expected to shift to the resolution of pending litigation, campaign preparations and political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The recognition of the David Mark-led ADC is also viewed as a significant boost for the opposition coalition that adopted the party as its platform to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next presidential election.

As legal proceedings continue, analysts believe the courts will ultimately determine the outstanding issues surrounding the party’s internal leadership, while INEC remains guided by existing judicial pronouncements in administering the electoral process.

INEC recognises David Mark-led ADC, validates Atiku’s candidacy

Appeal Court upholds judgment barring INEC from recognising ADC state congresses

The Court of Appeal has upheld a Federal High Court judgment restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising or participating in state congresses conducted by committees appointed by the David Mark-led caretaker leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

In a 2-1 majority decision delivered in Abuja on Monday, a three-member panel of the appellate court dismissed the appeal challenging the earlier judgment, affirming that the Federal High Court acted within the law when it issued the restraining orders.

The lead judgment, delivered by Justice Okon Abang and supported by Justice Donatus Okorowo, held that the appeal lacked merit and reaffirmed the validity of the lower court’s ruling. However, Justice Abba Mohammed dissented, maintaining that the dispute was an internal affair of the political party and therefore outside the jurisdiction of the court.

The legal battle stemmed from a suit filed by seven aggrieved members of the ADC, including elected state chairmen and officials, who challenged the dissolution of the party’s state executive committees and the appointment of caretaker committees to organise state congresses.

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The plaintiffs argued that the David Mark-led caretaker committee lacked the constitutional authority under the ADC Constitution to dissolve elected state executives or appoint committees to conduct state congresses.

They also contended that the actions of the caretaker leadership violated the party’s constitution and sought an order preventing INEC from recognising any congresses conducted by the appointed committees.

In its judgment, the Court of Appeal agreed that the issues raised went beyond an ordinary internal party disagreement because they involved the constitutional responsibilities of INEC under Nigeria’s electoral framework.

The appellate court ruled that where allegations involve breaches of constitutional provisions and statutory obligations imposed on the electoral commission, the courts have jurisdiction to determine such disputes.

The judgment affirmed the earlier decision of the Federal High Court, which restrained INEC from recognising, monitoring or participating in any ADC state congresses organised by committees appointed by the caretaker leadership pending the resolution of the substantive issues.

The court also upheld the lower court’s order preserving the tenure of the party’s elected state executive committees, declaring that their four-year mandate remains valid until lawfully terminated in accordance with the party’s constitution.

Additionally, the appellate court restrained the caretaker leadership from interfering with the functions of the elected state executives pending the determination of the substantive suit.

In the minority judgment, Justice Abba Mohammed argued that the matter was purely an internal affair of the political party and should not have been entertained by the Federal High Court.

However, the majority judgment prevailed, meaning the orders of the trial court remain binding unless overturned by the Supreme Court.

The Court of Appeal also awarded ₦10 million in costs against the appellant in favour of the respondents.

The ruling represents another significant development in the leadership crisis within the African Democratic Congress, a party that has recently attracted national attention following the emergence of a coalition of opposition politicians ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Legal experts say the judgment reinforces the principle that while political parties enjoy internal autonomy, their activities remain subject to judicial scrutiny whenever constitutional provisions, electoral laws or the statutory responsibilities of INEC are involved.

The decision also means that INEC cannot lawfully recognise or act on the outcome of any disputed ADC state congresses conducted by committees appointed by the David Mark-led caretaker leadership until the legal issues are finally resolved.

Observers believe the judgment could influence the party’s preparations for future congresses, conventions and candidate selection processes as political realignments continue ahead of the next general elections.

Appeal Court upholds judgment barring INEC from recognising ADC state congresses