2027: Sanwo-Olu challenges opposition to present credible alternatives to APC

By Adeola Ogunrinde

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has challenged opposition parties to present credible ideas capable of competing with the transformation agenda of the All Progressives Congress (APC), rather than seeking change for its own sake.

Sanwo-Olu spoke on Tuesday while delivering the Centenary Anniversary Lecture of the Yoruba Tennis Club in Lagos. The lecture, titled “Democracy, Governance, and the Lagos Spirit: A Century of Excellence,” was held at the club’s Greetings Hall in Onikan and attended by First Lady Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, Deputy Governor and APC governorship candidate Obafemi Hamzat, public officeholders, political and traditional leaders, and other dignitaries.

The governor, who is the South-West zonal coordinator of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, said Lagos had experienced the benefits of continuity in governance and should not embrace untested alternatives merely for the sake of change. He said the principle should also guide the national political discourse as APC seeks to build on its record in Lagos and at the federal level.

“Our challenge to the opposition remains the same – to put forward credible ideas that are able to compete with ours, instead of seeking change for the sake of change. Untested novelty is no longer an option for a Lagos State that has tasted and felt the superiority of continuity,” Sanwo-Olu said.

He described the “Lagos Spirit” as one of courage, self-reliance, openness and continuous improvement, saying it had contributed significantly to the state’s democratic tradition, governance and development. Sanwo-Olu also recalled Lagos’ role in the June 12 pro-democracy struggle, the development of indigenous political institutions and its long history of civic activism.

Speaking on his administration’s performance over the past seven years, the governor said the THEMES+ development agenda had affected millions of Lagos residents through initiatives in transportation, health, the environment, education, technology, the economy, tourism, entertainment, security and governance.

Reflecting on the Yoruba Tennis Club’s 100-year history, Sanwo-Olu said its establishment represented a bold response by indigenous Lagosians to racial segregation during the colonial era. He urged the club to preserve its founding values while evolving with changing times, stressing that institutions could embrace change without abandoning the principles that made them relevant.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Yoruba Tennis Club, Chief Olawunmi Gasper, reaffirmed the club’s commitment to preserving Yoruba cultural heritage, promoting fellowship and contributing to Lagos’ social, economic and civic development. He said the choice of Sanwo-Olu as guest speaker was significant and commended his administration’s infrastructure and development initiatives, adding that the anniversary lecture provided an opportunity to examine the relationship between democracy, governance and Lagos’ growth.