Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has challenged opposition parties preparing for the 2027 elections to present policies capable of competing with the record of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos and at the federal level.
Sanwo-Olu said voters should not be asked to support a change of government simply for the sake of change, arguing that the APC would campaign on what it described as continuity and its record in government.
The governor spoke on Tuesday while delivering the centenary anniversary lecture of the Yoruba Tennis Club in Onikan, Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu, who is the South-West Zonal Coordinator of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, said the party would seek to defend its development record in Lagos and nationally as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu prepares to contest the 2027 presidential election.
He challenged opposition parties to explain how their proposed alternatives would improve on the policies and projects implemented by the APC.
“Our challenge to the opposition remains the same – to put forward credible ideas that can compete with ours, instead of seeking change for the sake of change,” he said.
“Untested novelty is no longer an option for a Lagos State that has tasted and felt the superiority of continuity.”
He said the argument for continuity would also form part of the APC’s national campaign, while urging voters to assess the Tinubu administration alongside the party’s record in Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu attributed part of Lagos’ development to the continuity of successive administrations since the return of democracy in 1999.
He said a development blueprint introduced during Tinubu’s tenure as Lagos governor had been retained and expanded by subsequent administrations, citing projects including the Blue and Red rail lines.
“In 1999, when democracy returned, this state did something remarkable and rare. It crafted a blueprint – the brainchild of the then Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his brilliant team of technocrats.
“Every governor who has followed has faithfully built on that blueprint. It’s been 27 years now, and we have not departed from the original vision,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu identified continuity, vision, self-reliance and partnership as key elements of what he described as the “Lagos Playbook”.
He also highlighted the state’s internally generated revenue and its ability to finance infrastructure, recalling previous disputes between Lagos and the Federal Government.
“When the Federal Government vindictively closed its purse to us, Lagos did not become a beggar. It turned to its own people,” he said.
The governor further defended his administration’s record, citing projects and investments in transportation, education, healthcare, technology, agriculture and infrastructure under its THEMES+ development agenda.
He said the administration had established two public universities, developed the Imota Rice Mill, attracted investments in submarine cable landings and data centres, and begun work on a children’s hospital and the Lagos Central Food Security System and Logistics Hub.
Sanwo-Olu, however, said the impact of government policies should ultimately be measured by how they affect residents.
“The true measure of our work in Lagos is whether a doctor or nurse in Alimosho or Ibeju-Lekki can get to work on time, whether a child in Ajegunle has a desk and school books, whether a trader in Mile 12 can get her tomatoes or fish to market before they rot,” he said.
His comments come as political parties and aspirants intensify preparations for the 2027 elections, with the APC seeking to retain control of Lagos and the Federal Government.
The event also featured the unveiling of a centenary history book by the Yoruba Tennis Club, the foundation-laying ceremony for its proposed Legacy Building and an exhibition of historical and archival materials.
The club’s chairman, Olawunmi Gasper, commended the Sanwo-Olu administration for its infrastructure and development initiatives and said the centenary celebration provided an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between democracy, governance and Lagos’ development.
