‘Far, Far, Far Better’ – Hamzat Speaks On Tinubu’s 2027 Re-election Chances

Lagos State Deputy Governor and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2027 election, Obafemi Hamzat, expressed confidence in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu securing re-election.

Speaking during an interview on TVC News’ Journalists’ Hangout on Monday, September 14, Hamzat stated that Tinubu’s chances of securing re-election are “far, far better” than in 2023.

While assessing the president’s prospects ahead of the 2027 presidential election, the deputy governor pointed out that the political dynamics that shaped the 2023 presidential election are different from that of 2027.

He noted that Nigerians now had the opportunity to assess President Tinubu based on his record in office.

The APC gubernatorial candidate said religious considerations that affected the president’s electoral prospects in 2023 had reduced.

He said Nigerians are now seeing that Tinubu’s appointments and policies were not driven by religious or ethnic considerations.

The deputy governor said in the 2023 election cycle Tinubu faced concerns over his religion and regional identity, particularly because he was a Muslim candidate from the South in a country where the South-South and South-East have predominantly Christian populations.

“So in the South, if you are a Muslim candidate as a president, you are a minority. So the challenge is, can you appeal minorities?” he said.

Speaking further, he said the President’s actions had demonstrated that his religious identity had not determined government policies or appointments.

“Our president is somebody that looks for credible people, that looks for intelligent people. He’s blinded to your ethnicity. He’s blinded to your religion,” he said.

He noted that criticisms had previously focused on the religious identities of some key officials, including the Minister of Finance and the Central Bank governor.

“It’s the president. He has records that he can defend. And then, of course, the issue of religion, I think, has gone down. People see that we are all together,” he said.

The APC governorship candidate also used Lagos as an example of how religious cooperation could work, noting that he is a Muslim but regularly attends Christian gatherings.

He referred to the Lagos State chapter of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), where Christian and Muslim leaders meet to deliberate on issues affecting the state.

Hamzat recalled the controversy surrounding an autopsy-related rule, saying the Muslim community initially opposed it because of the need to bury the dead promptly.

He said the issue was eventually resolved through discussions between Christian and Muslim representatives at NIREC.

Consequently, the APC candidate expressed confidence that Tinubu would perform better electorally in 2027 than he did in 2023, particularly in Lagos State.

“So I think the chances are far, far, far better,” Hamzat said.