A familiar name is back on the list of possible candidates for the next Governor of Lagos State: Gbenga Ashafa, the former Senator with a strong political network from Lagos East.
The former two-term Senator, with a solid reputation within the All Progressives Congress (APC), is being touted as one of those with good chances to succeed Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Sanwo-Olu leaves office in May 2027 after the constitutionally allowed two-term.
The politician, who has a large following in Lagos East, has neither shown interest in nor denied the position.
Against claims that the 69-year-old does not have age on his side, those pushing his “candidacy” insist that his standing speaks to his status as an established politician, who has what it takes to lead Lagos to the next level amidst a trying economic situation.
Reputed for pushing infrastructural projects and constituency development during his time in the Senate, Ashafa was a very active member of the high-impact committee on Lands, Housing, and Urban Development in his first term. He also championed the transformative legislative support that helped achieve the turnaround of the railway sector in Nigeria as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Land Transport in his second term.
His time in the Senate provided deep experience in legislation and governance, which, his advocates say, enriches the know-how he garnered as a former Director of Planning in the Governor’s office, in charge of local government administration in Lagos, and later as Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Land Use and Allocation Committee before being appointed Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Land Bureau.
Those promoting his name as the next Governor of Lagos State insist that his age, experience at both federal and state levels, strong political network, and loyalty as a party man—highlighted by his continued faith in the party after being denied the chance to return to the Senate in 2019—have prepared him for the job.
