Cornelius Ojelabi, the chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos, on Monday formally unveiled Damilola Sonayon-James as the running mate to Obafemi Hamzat, the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

Mr Ojelabi stated that competence, leadership capacity, grassroots acceptance, party loyalty, and ability to contribute to the development of Lagos were considered before choosing Ms Sonayon-James.

Mr Ojelabi’s announcement followed his meeting with Tajudeen Olusi, the leader of the Governance Advisory Council in Lagos, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Mr Hamzat, Ms Sonayon-James and other top party leaders in the state.

Her nomination and that of Mr Hamzat’s, which was announced on May 31, had already been endorsed by President Bola Tinubu and the GAC.

But who is the anointed governorship running mate Sonayon-James?

The newly announced Lagos APC governorship candidate, Damilola Sonayon-James, is a 41-year-old princess from the royal family of the Kweme Kingdom in the Badagry West Local Council Development Area and the granddaughter of the late Oba Afolabi James.

Her surname, ‘Sonayon’, derived from the Egun language in Badagry and neighbouring communities, is translated into English as ‘Tomorrow is bright’ or ‘Better days ahead’.

Ms Sonayon-James, an environmental, social, and governance and sustainability risk consultant, is the managing director of DGS Chauffeurs and Logistics and a former consultant for Bolt Nigeria.

She holds a Master’s degree in Social Work with a specialisation in Community Development from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo state. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Hull in the United Kingdom.

Referred to as ‘Sisi Eko of APC’ by her supporters, Ms Sonayon-James, the state’s incumbent deputy women leader of the APC, recently lost the party’s just-concluded Badagry West chairmanship primary, conceded defeat, and congratulated the winner, Rauf Yemaren Kayode.

She was previously the supervisory councillor for agriculture and social services in Badagry West LCDA, during which she was credited with executing initiatives to improve agricultural development, youths and women’s empowerment, educational support, community welfare, and organised social intervention programmes. 

She also led grassroots political mobilisation, women’s leadership development, and community advocacy in the state.

One of her grassroots initiatives was the ‘Light Up Project’, which witnessed the installation of solar-powered streetlights in the area and the distribution of educational supplies.