Lagos State Deputy Governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, has revealed that he had never met or spoken with his running mate, Damilola Sonayon-James, until she was selected as the party’s deputy governorship candidate for the 2027 election.
Hamzat made the disclosure on Thursday at the public presentation of Who Is She?, a book chronicling the life, leadership journey and rise of Sonayon-James. The event, held at the Syrian Club Event Centre in Ikoyi, Lagos, drew political leaders, party members and supporters.
Speaking at the launch, Hamzat described Sonayon-James’ emergence as the product of a transparent and merit-based selection process rather than personal relationships or political patronage.
According to him, President Bola Tinubu directed party leaders to jointly decide on the choice of a running mate after he proposed that the deputy governorship candidate should be a young woman.
“The President called me and said, ‘You people should sort it out among yourselves.’ I told him I believed it should be a woman, and he agreed. I also suggested that the person should be young, and he equally agreed,” Hamzat said.
He explained that the party also considered Lagos’ political balancing arrangement during the selection process.
“We agreed that the deputy governorship candidate should not come from Lagos East because I am from the East, and since the current governor is from the Central, the choice had to come from the West,” he added.
Hamzat said that despite eventually becoming his running mate, Sonayon-James was not someone he had a prior relationship with.
“Until Damilola emerged as my running mate, I didn’t even have her phone number. I had to get her contact from someone else,” he said.
The APC governorship candidate, however, stressed that what distinguished Sonayon-James was not personal familiarity but her years of dedication to community service, grassroots mobilisation and party development.
“The most important thing is that she has been actively serving her community and doing remarkable work over the years. Her record speaks for itself,” he noted.
Reflecting on Sonayon-James’ journey, Hamzat said her emergence should inspire young women across Nigeria to remain committed to excellence and service, regardless of the challenges they face.
He urged Nigerian youths, particularly women, not to be discouraged by negative narratives about the country, insisting that opportunities still abound for hardworking and dedicated individuals.
“If you listen to everything being said on television, you may begin to think there is no hope. Don’t believe that. There are still opportunities for those who are willing to work and contribute positively to society,” he said.
Sonayon-James, a native of Badagry, was recently unveiled by the Lagos APC as Hamzat’s running mate after what the party described as extensive consultations and a rigorous screening process.
According to the party, her emergence followed years of grassroots political engagement, unwavering loyalty to the APC, leadership in the party’s women’s wing and consistent service to her community.
Earlier in his welcome address, APC Chairman Cornelius Ojelabi said Sonayon-James earned the nomination through competence, leadership ability and broad acceptance within the party, adding that the Hamzat-Sonayon-James ticket combines experience, youthful energy and a strong grassroots connection ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
The unveiling of the book, Who Is She?, also highlighted Sonayon-James’ personal journey from grassroots activism to becoming the APC’s deputy governorship candidate, with speakers describing her emergence as a testament to perseverance, resilience and years of dedicated service within the party.
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