Obafemi Hamzat, the deputy governor of Lagos State, said he obtained his running mate's phone number from a third party after her selection.
The admission highlights a lack of prior personal connection between the top two candidates for the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket in Lagos State. Such a revelation may raise questions regarding the internal selection process and the level of coordination within the party's leadership prior to the official announcement.
Hamzat said he did not possess the contact information for Damilola Sonayon-James until she emerged as the party's deputy-governorship candidate for the 2027 election [1]. Because he lacked a direct line of communication, he sought the number through an intermediary to establish contact.
"I got my running mate’s number from someone," Hamzat said [1].
The interaction follows the formalization of the APC ticket for the upcoming Lagos cycle. The process of pairing candidates often involves strategic political alignments, but in this instance, the personal connection was established only after the political selection was finalized [1].
This gap in communication occurs as the party prepares its strategy for the 2027 governorship race [1]. The deputy governor's comment clarifies the sequence of events leading to his first interaction with Sonayon-James, confirming that their professional partnership began with a third-party introduction rather than a pre-existing relationship.
“"I got my running mate’s number from someone"”
This admission suggests that the APC's candidate selection for the 2027 Lagos governorship was driven by party machinery rather than established personal or professional partnerships. In high-stakes regional politics, a lack of prior rapport between a gubernatorial candidate and their running mate can signal a top-down appointment process, potentially requiring a period of adjustment for the duo to synchronize their platforms before campaigning begins.
