A Lagos State governorship aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC), Samuel Ajose, has officially withdrawn from the 2027 governorship contest in support of Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat after consultations with party leaders.
Ajose, popularly known as SMA Gold, confirmed his withdrawal during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, explaining that he decided to step aside in line with the wishes of the APC leadership ahead of the party primaries.
The Badagry-born politician, who had previously maintained he would remain in the race, said party leaders made it clear that the APC had settled on a different direction for the Lagos governorship election.
He noted that respect for the party’s constitution, leadership structure and internal processes influenced his decision.
“The race has been very interesting and it came to an emotional end yesterday for the phase of SMA for the 2027 election,” he said.
“You need to sit down to re-plan and re-strategise and when you have the leadership of the party saying this is the way we want to go, you can’t walk in isolation if you want to remain in the party.”
Ajose described the move as difficult but necessary to maintain peace and unity within the APC ahead of the 2027 general election.
“We all respect the constitution of the party. The constitution of the party is supreme and if what the party is saying at this point in time is that this is the way they want to go, in the interest of peace and for us to quickly settle down to start planning for the 2027 general election, I think it is better we take that decision,” he added.
Responding to questions on whether he stepped down because he feared losing the primary election to Hamzat, Ajose insisted he was never intimidated by any opponent but chose to honour the position of party elders.
“What I can tell you is that everybody that constitutes the leadership of the party sat me down and when your elders are talking to you, you have to listen,” he said.
“The party said this is what they want, and if you are going to work under the rules, tenets and constitution of the party, I think you just have to listen to them so that you don’t get yourself into trouble.”
Ajose also disclosed that his discussions with party leaders focused mainly on the development of Badagry, adding that commitments were secured that would benefit the area.
“When we sat down, we had our negotiation, everything was centred around Badagry and I think for the first time, Badagry was able to sit on the table of negotiation when it comes to the table of Lagos State and we were able to get some juicy benefits for Badagry,” he said.
He expressed confidence that Hamzat would honour the agreements reached during the consultations.
Hamzat is widely seen as the preferred candidate of the APC leadership in Lagos, having reportedly secured the support of President Bola Tinubu, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Lagos Governance Advisory Council (GAC).
Hamzat was elected deputy governor alongside Sanwo-Olu in 2019 and both were re-elected in 2023 for a second term in office.
Before becoming deputy governor, the 61-year-old served as commissioner under the administrations of former Lagos governors Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola.