For the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, 2025 would be a difficult year. The outcome of the upcoming party congress and local council elections will be decided by the supremacy struggle that gubernatorial candidates and camps are preparing for.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) chapter in Lagos State is up against yet another test that could determine whether the party continues to control the state or not.

Numerous inclinations and divisions have been set against one another in this year’s congress and elections for the 20 Local Governments (LGs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs). Signs of fierce competition among candidates for governor are already upsetting party leaders and having an effect on governance.

The competition between Speaker of the House of Assembly Mudashiru Obasa and Deputy Governor Kadiri Hamzat is very intense. Party members are also discussing former state governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Senator Tokunbo Abiru, and Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila.

However, Seyi, the son of President Bola Tinubu, has recently engaged in political maneuvers that are altering the political calculus and giving the competition a new angle.

The political landscape is already changing as a result of covert campaigns, strategic alliances, behind-the-scenes maneuvering, and subtle politicking, even if none of the candidates have formally announced their intention to run.

Although Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the state governor, is constitutionally prohibited from running for office again after winning the plum job twice, some of his aides are alleged to have set up shop in support of the deputy governor’s desire for continuity and his unwavering loyalty to their boss, which has caused political tension between them and Obasa’s supporters.

According to party sources, Sanwo-Olu and Obasa are not at odds over who will be the state’s next governor. And if there was any doubt, it was allayed by the drama that transpired when the governor presented the 2025 Appropriations Bill to the state lawmakers.

Many had anticipated that the Speaker would make an announcement and treat the governor and his entourage with the deference that his position demands when they arrived in the chamber, but that was not to be. Rather, the Speaker disregarded his presence and directed the meeting to proceed with the talks about the state’s “Celebration of 2024 Men’s Day.”

In an unwelcoming atmosphere, the governor presented the budget plan a few minutes later.

Obasa, who leads the APC in Agege, is open about his desire to replace Sanwo-Olu as governor and is prepared to take on those who think he lacks the qualifications to lead the state. “My name is Obasa, and I am eligible to run for governor of Lagos,” he declared.

“I have made it my personal mission to rally people behind the Mandate agenda, which some political critics misinterpret as a self-serving bid to become governor. I want to make it clear that my main goal is to make the APC stronger. He stated that becoming governor is a secondary goal.

“Those who came before me are not better off,” Obasa said, rejecting claims that he lacked the skills necessary to lead. I am qualified to govern this state since I am neither too young nor too inexperienced.

“Obasa should proceed with caution; there was no need for the drama, which he demonstrated during the budget presentation,” stated one of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) members, who asked to remain anonymous.

“Sanwo-Olu has no dog in this fight,” he said. Why do that to him and his cabinet members? Is Sanwo-Olu seeking a third term in office?

It was also learned that Tajudeen Olusi, the GAC chairman, who was dissatisfied with Obasa’s poor treatment of the governor, reported the incident to President Bola Tinubu while on vacation in Lagos. He expressed concern that if the situation is not appropriately controlled before the party’s congress and local council elections in the state are held, it could get out of control.

The President advised Obasa to proceed cautiously because 2027 is too far ahead, according to inside party sources. Additionally, it was said that the President asked Obasa, “Which governor will sign such a bill into law, anyway?” in response to the bill that was presented to the state assembly that would allow lawmakers to remove the chairman of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC).

However, the purported entry of Seyi Tinubu to compete against other candidates for governor has added a new dimension to the contest for the party’s flagbearer. His foot soldiers are already in town, rallying support for his goal, it was learned.

The President’s son has expressed to some party leaders his desire to run for governor, a party insider also informed The Guardian.

In response to a question concerning his aspirations given that his father might still run for president in 2027, the source stated:

“You will not question it if you are aware of President Tinubu’s thought process. He will let the boy express himself and create the noise. Perhaps he will be elected to another elective office, such as deputy governor. And what is wrong with that if he was elected by the party’s stakeholders and received votes? When George Bush Sr. was president, both of his sons were simultaneously serving as governors of separate states.

The Coalition of Nigerian Youth Leaders (CONYL), an organization made up of youth organizations from all six geopolitical zones, first supported Seyi for governor of Lagos at Owerri, Imo State.