2027 Elections: Sanwo-Olu Backs Tinubu’s Second Term

….Says Nigeria’s Economy, Security Improving

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has declared his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, saying the Federal Government’s economic and security reforms should be sustained to consolidate Nigeria’s progress.

Sanwo-Olu made the declaration on Thursday while delivering a lecture titled “2027 Elections: Economy, Security and Nigeria’s Future” at the Freedom Online 7th Yearly Lecture held at the Sheraton Lagos Hotel, Ikeja.

The governor, who described himself as a proud member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said he believed in Tinubu’s reforms and would work for the party’s victory in the 2027 elections.

“I will not disguise my hope for the outcome. I expect my party to win, and I expect a second term for President Tinubu to consolidate the Renewed Hope agenda, because an unfinished reform is the most expensive kind,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu, however, stressed that his support for the President did not mean he would compromise his assessment of the country’s democratic process.

He said whatever the outcome of the 2027 elections, Nigerians should expect a peaceful exercise, while candidates who lose should be prepared to concede defeat.

The governor said Nigeria’s 28-year uninterrupted democratic journey since 1999 should be protected, describing the country as an anchor of democratic stability in West Africa.

According to him, the 2027 election will be the eighth consecutive general election since the return to democracy in 1999.

He noted that Nigeria’s democratic achievement was particularly significant given the military takeovers experienced in several West African countries in recent years.

On the economy, Sanwo-Olu defended the Tinubu administration’s decision to remove the petrol subsidy, acknowledging that the policy had imposed hardship on Nigerians but arguing that it was necessary to address longstanding economic distortions.

“I will not stand here and tell you that it has been painless. It has not. Lagosians have felt it at the pump, at the market, and in the price of a bag of rice,” he said.

However, he argued that recent economic indicators showed signs of recovery, citing growth in GDP, agriculture and services, as well as improvements in foreign reserves, remittances and inflation.

Sanwo-Olu urged Nigerians and journalists to independently verify the economic figures being presented by the government rather than relying on political claims.

He also linked the economy directly to national security, arguing that unemployment, poverty and insecurity reinforce one another.

“Poverty feeds insecurity, and insecurity strangles the very economy that would cure poverty,” he said.

The governor highlighted various security initiatives of the Tinubu administration, including the expansion of the Nigerian Army, the establishment of new security structures and efforts to strengthen collaboration with international partners.

He also renewed his support for the proposed State Police, saying Lagos State’s experience with community-based security mechanisms demonstrated the importance of bringing security closer to the people.

Sanwo-Olu said State Policing would require constitutional amendments and urged members of the next National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly to complete the process.

He further called for credible and peaceful elections, saying economic and security achievements would be meaningless if the electoral process was not trusted by Nigerians.

Referring to the recent Osun State governorship election, where the APC candidate lost to the incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke, Sanwo-Olu said President Tinubu’s decision to congratulate the winner demonstrated his commitment to democracy.

He said the incident showed that “federal might” should no longer be associated with the manipulation of elections in favour of the ruling party.

“A mandate is only as strong as the process that produced it. No office in this land is worth the life of a single Nigerian, and no victory won by the wrong means is a victory at all,” he said.

The governor also called on state governors to account for how they use increased allocations following the removal of the subsidy, noting that states and local governments now receive significantly higher monthly allocations.

Turning to Nigeria’s youth population, Sanwo-Olu said the country’s large youthful population could become either its greatest economic dividend or a major source of instability, depending on government policies.

He cited initiatives including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, consumer credit programmes, technical talent development and youth empowerment schemes as efforts aimed at creating opportunities for young Nigerians.

The governor also challenged the media to play a more rigorous role ahead of the 2027 elections by fact-checking politicians, exposing disinformation and giving adequate coverage to women and young people participating in politics.

“I am not asking for a compliant press. A compliant press is of no use to a democracy; it flatters the powerful and abandons the public. I am asking for a rigorous press,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu urged journalists to scrutinise claims from all political camps, including his own party, warning that anonymous social media accounts and manipulated videos could become major sources of electoral misinformation.

He expressed optimism about Nigeria’s long-term prospects, saying the country could achieve President Tinubu’s target of a $1 trillion economy by 2030 if the ongoing reforms were sustained.

The governor concluded by urging the Federal Government, state governments, INEC, political actors and the media to work together to ensure that the 2027 election becomes a milestone in Nigeria’s democratic development.

“Let 2027 be remembered not as the election Nigeria survived, but as the election at which Nigeria came of age,” Sanwo-Olu said.