Babajide Sanwo-Olu was largely unknown outside of the All Progressives Congress before 2019. He was able to win the gubernatorial race due to the APC’s strength and possibly PDP’s seeming weakness.
Another gubernatorial election is scheduled for 2023, however based on political analysis, it does not seem that the present Lagos governor would be re-elected for the undermentioned reasons.
The EndSars protest in Nigeria in late 2020 turned out to be a major stain on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s image. Lagos became the epicenter of the protest, which was a nationwide response from Nigerians.
The reported killing of protestors in Lekki has cast a pall over Lagos, with youngsters accusing the governor of condoning the incident.
While the governor has rejected the accusation, it does not seem to have vanished, and it is likely to have an impact on his political image in 2023. Some demonstrators believe the governor might have done more to safeguard the people.
To summarize, there is speculation that the APC has agreed that the deputy governor, Femi Hamzat, would replace Sanwo-Olu as governor. If this is the case, it will come as no surprise if the present governor resigns voluntarily. Remember that Hamzat also withdrew out of the APC gubernatorial race, allowing Sanwo-Olu to win. Sanwo-Olu may be another one-term governor if such an arrangement is reached.
