Lagos State Deputy Governor, Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, has emerged winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election in Lagos State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Announcing the results at the collation centre located at the APC Secretariat in Ikeja, the Returning Officer, retired General Jonathan Temlong, said Hamzat polled 657,917 votes to defeat his rival, Olanrewaju Jim-Kamal, who secured one vote.
Temlong disclosed that a total of 657,974 voters were accredited for the exercise.
According to him, the primary election was conducted peacefully across the state’s 245 wards in the 20 local government areas, describing the exercise as a family affair.
He added that the election was transparent and conducted in line with the guidelines of the party.
Temlong also appreciated officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for monitoring the exercise.
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Giving a breakdown of the votes recorded across the local government areas, the returning officer said Hamzat polled 16,257 votes in Agege; 31,079 in Ajeromi-Ifelodun; 74,501 in Alimosho; 20,818 in Amuwo-Odofin; and 5,430 in Apapa.
He said the deputy governor also secured 24,631 votes in Badagry; 37,680 in Epe; 28,754 in Eti-Osa; 33,861 in Ibeju-Lekki; 38,627 in Ifako-Ijaiye; 21,588 in Ikeja; 55,148 in Ikorodu; 51,600 in Kosofe; 27,348 in Lagos Island; 49,079 in Lagos Mainland; and 38,971 in Mushin.
According to Temlong, Hamzat further recorded 36,372 votes in Ojo; 31,972 in Oshodi-Isolo; 16,706 in Somolu; and 17,495 in Surulere.
Declaring the result, Temlong announced Hamzat as the winner of the governorship primary election and the APC candidate for the 2027 governorship election in Lagos State.
Earlier, the Lagos State APC Chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, commended members of the national electoral committee and the local organising committee for conducting a credible exercise.
He also praised party members for their orderly conduct and commitment to democratic principles during the primary election.
Ojelabi said the successful conduct of the exercise reflected the unity and strength of the APC in Lagos State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He added that Saturday’s presidential primary election would also be conducted through direct primaries across the state’s 245 wards.
In his acceptance speech, Hamzat thanked President Bola Tinubu, APC leaders, and party members for the confidence reposed in him to fly the party’s flag in the next governorship election.
He pledged to sustain the developmental strides of the APC administration in Lagos State and promised inclusive governance if elected governor in 2027.
No fewer than four aspirants had initially indicated interest and purchased APC nomination forms for the governorship contest before the party leadership endorsed Hamzat.
Two of the aspirants, Abdul-Azeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, and Samuel Ajose, later withdrew from the race.
Adediran stepped down after President Bola Tinubu and the Governance Advisory Council endorsed Hamzat, while Ajose withdrew from the contest a few days before the primary election.
