Former Lagos State Commissioner of Works and Infrastructure in the state, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat as emerged as the running-mate to the Gubernatorial candidate, Babajide Sanwoolu for 2019 governorship poll.
State Chairman of the party, Alhaji Babatunde Balogun who presentated the running mate today, Sunday, during a media conference at the party’s Secretariat, Acme, Ogba, Lagos, said: “Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat are fantastic team that will bring development to Lagos and build a Lagos that everybody will be proud of if voted for during the 2019 governorship elections.
“The highest decision making body of APC, the Governor’s Advisory Council, GAC, together with all the relevant stakeholders of APC in Lagos State have endorsed Dr. Obafemi Hamzat as the running mate to the candidate of APC in Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu. “After the endorsement, it is important for me to publicly and officially present Dr. Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat as the running mate of our candidate, Sanwo-Olu for the 2019 gubernatorial election in Lagos State.”
Sanwo-Olu, in his address, appreciated the decision to pick Hamzat as his running mate, saying: “Lagos will be better and enriched with the caliber of Hamzat being my running mate if elected. “I am here to confirm that the party in consultation with me have decided to formally unveil and publicly present the candidacy of my running mate, Dr. Obafemi Kadiri Hamzat.
“Dr. Hamzat and I have been players in the same political matters for many years. We have been friends and brothers for close to two decades now. He is a man of deep intellectual knowledge. “He is a man of high level of integrity. He is a man that I have worked closely with in different service.
“He is competent and I know he is somebody that I know very well and will help me and together, we will take Lagos to the level that we are promising; a level that will enhance all of us. “He is a technocrat and politician who have also worked in the private and public sector. He is a gentleman that I personally respect a lot and dare say that Lagos will be better and enriched with the caliber of Dr. Hamzat being my running mate.”
In his acceptance speech, Hamzat said: “Lagos is dear to all of us. And if Nigeria will be great, which by God’s grace we will; Lagos must be great. And as such our party decided to look for a candidate like Sanwo-Olu, who has the experience, integrity and capability to run the affairs of this state. We are now a global village and what we do in Lagos affect everywhere in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
“So, I am very happy. I feel very happy and I feel a sense of responsibility that the party after sitting together, have selected me to be his running mate so that we can work together with our experiences.
“We have known each other for over 15 years professionally and personally. So, we have the chemistry and I dare say that we understand the geography of Lagos.
“Mr. Sanwo-Olu and I understand what it takes to cook what Lagosians will eat. So, we will display that very soon. The campaign will start and we will show Lagosians that we are a team with APC that can take Lagos to the next level. So, I am very happy and on behalf of myself and my family, I want to thank Sanwo-Olu and the party leaders for their decision to appoint me as the running mate.”
