Gboyega Akosile, the Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Media and Publicity, has dismissed a report claiming that his principal was ordered to resign from his position on health grounds and hand over to his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat.
In a statement on Monday, Akosile described the report as “false in its entirety”.
“Nobody has asked the Lagos Governor to resign – this is another fake news,” the statement he posted on his verified X handle read in part.
“Governor Sanwo-Olu remains in good health, is of sound mind, and is actively discharging his duties as governor of Lagos State,” the aide said.
He recalled that Governor Sanwo-Olu had earlier in the day received Hamzat, who paid him a courtesy visit to formally notify him of his intention to contest for the governorship seat in next year’s election.
“The meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere, as is customary,” he wrote.
The governor’s aide said the clarification became important to “prevent the public from being misled by deliberate falsehoods”.
“We would ordinarily ignore such baseless reports, but the need to reassure Lagosians makes this response necessary,” Akosile said.
Meanwhile, Sanwo-Olu has backed the 2027 governorship bid of his deputy, describing him as fit and ready to serve.
“And at the end of the day, with the consultation that we’re doing, it was unanimous with all of us in that room to say that the deputy governor is a man who’s fit and ready,” the governor told the gathering of state leaders, council chairmen, and other stakeholders at an event in the Lagos House, Marina, on Monday.
“He’s been well-baked. He’s been well-manicured. He’s been well ‘pepperonied’ for this job.”
Sanwo-Olu rose to power as Lagos governor in 2019 under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The 60-year-old former banker was re-elected for another four-year term in 2023.
Credit: channelstv.com
