Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said the state is set for a peaceful transfer of power, describing an orderly change of governors as the achievement of which he is most proud as his tenure nears its end.
Campaign launch puts succession in focus
Sanwo-Olu made the remarks at the presentation of the manifesto and campaign launch for Femi Hamzat, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for governor in Lagos State.
With seven months remaining in office, the governor said a leader’s final months provide a clearer measure of what has been accomplished. He pointed to infrastructure and industrial projects completed during his administration, including rail lines, bridges, hospitals and rice mills.
- Rail and bridge projects were among the infrastructure developments he cited.
- He also referred to hospitals commissioned during his administration.
- Rice mills were included among the projects he said Lagos could take pride in.
However, Sanwo-Olu said his foremost source of satisfaction was not a physical project built from concrete, but the prospect of Lagos changing governors without conflict.
Peaceful handover described as a rare outcome
The governor said smooth political succession remains uncommon in many parts of Nigeria, where transitions have at times resulted in court disputes or open clashes involving governors and their deputies.
In contrast, he noted that Lagos’s governor and deputy governor arrived together at the event and would leave together. In May, he said, one would pass the platform to the other, subject to voter support.
Sanwo-Olu said it was possible for an outgoing governor to transfer power to a successor who would preserve, rather than divide, the political structure that had been built. Addressing Hamzat as a longtime friend and brother, he said Lagos residents would place in his hands what he called the country’s most demanding baton.
Three requests for the prospective successor
Sanwo-Olu asked Hamzat to follow three principles if elected governor:
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Continue listening to residents, because those who voted for the administration did not elect it to stop hearing their concerns.
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Complete every project under way, including roads or lines, bridges and halls, so that no Lagos resident can say that work begun collectively was later abandoned.
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When the time comes to leave office, transfer power in the same peaceful manner in which it was received.
