Lagos State Deputy Governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Obafemi Hamzat, has questioned former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi’s ability to manage Nigeria, citing Obi’s history of moving between political parties.
Hamzat made the remarks at the Gbaja Mega Empowerment Programme organised by Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, for residents of the Surulere Federal Constituency in Lagos.
Hamzat argued that managing a political party is an important part of the responsibility involved in seeking national political leadership.
Focus on Political Organisation
The Lagos deputy governor referred to Obi’s political journey across different platforms as part of his argument.
Obi was elected governor of Anambra State on the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) platform before later joining the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and subsequently the Labour Party, under which he contested the 2023 presidential election.
He is now the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 election.
Hamzat’s comments therefore focused on Obi’s political affiliations and the organisational demands of leading a political movement and party structure.
2027 Contest
The remarks come as political parties and candidates intensify preparations for the 2027 presidential and governorship elections.
Obi remains one of the figures associated with the opposition political space, while Hamzat is the APC’s candidate in the Lagos governorship contest.
The comments form part of the wider political debate over party organisation, leadership structures and the strategies being adopted by competing political actors ahead of the 2027 elections.
Hamzat’s assessment is a political argument about Obi’s record and should be distinguished from an independently established conclusion about his capacity to govern.