Stakeholders from Badagry Division have renewed their appeal to the leadership of the All Progressives Congress to zone the party’s Lagos governorship ticket to Badagry ahead of the 2027 elections.

They described the request as legitimate, saying that the zoning  would promote fairness, justice and inclusion.

Leading in the call, a 93-year-old elder statesman, Andu Adio, said Badagry had not presented a governorship candidate since the creation of Lagos in 1967 because the division had not found a candidate in whom the people had absolute trust and confidence.

Mr Adio, who in his prime headed the committee on the restructuring of the education sector during the administration of the late Lateef Jakande, said the situation had changed with the emergence of Samuel Ajose.

According to him, Badagry indigenes believe they have found in Mr Ajose a credible, competent and selfless aspirant who can carry the collective aspiration of the division.

“We in Badagry have not, over the years, put forward a governorship candidate, not because we lacked qualified people but because we had not found someone we truly trusted and believed in. Now, in Dr Samuel Ajose, we have a man we believe in, a man we trust, and a man we are convinced is ready to serve and make sacrifices for the people,” Mr Adio said.

He said Badagry had made much socio-economic contributions to Lagos and the entire Nigeria.

Mr Adio said that the request for the governorship slot was not based on sentiments, but on equity and the need to give every part of the state a sense of belonging.

“It is our turn, and we are saying so with respect, facts and unity. We believe Dr Ajose is the right person for this moment,” he said.

A former member of the House of Representative, Rafeequat Onabamiro, dismissed the notion that Badagry lacked  aspirants with the  education or resources to contest for the governorship seat.

According to her, Badagry is home to many accomplished professionals, including professors and doctors, as well as financially capable individuals.

“When some people said Badagry had no one with capacity, we asked them what they meant by capacity. If it is education, we have highly educated sons and daughters. If it is financial strength, we also have capable people,” she said. “The argument that Badagry lacks the right candidate no longer stands. Dr Ajose represents both competence and capacity.”

Ms Onabamiro said the request  was widely supported across Lagos West senatorial district and was consistent with the principles of equity and political balancing.

“If you look at the history of Lagos state, both in the military and civilian eras, Badagry has never produced a governor,” she said. “That is why this demand is legitimate, justified and timely. It is not a confrontation; it is an appeal based on fairness and inclusion,” the former lawmaker said.

Ms Onabamiro added that political leadership was not the exclusive preserve of career politicians, noting that many successful leaders in Nigeria and across the world had emerged from business and professional backgrounds.

Similarly, Olanrewaju Saka-Shenayon, a former commissioner for rural development and infrastructure, said that Mr Ajose had, over the years, demonstrated strong commitment to the APC and consistently supported the party’s activities across Lagos.

Mr Saka-Shenayon added that Mr Ajose had supported installation of electronic billboards in Lagos and other South-West states toward President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.

(NAN)