Lagos youths reject endorsement of Seyi Tinubu as governor in 2027

• Say no vacancy for non-indigene
• Obasa says ambition of contesting is secondary

The coalition of Lagos indigenous youths has rejected the endorsement of Seyi Tinubu, the son of President Bola Tinubu, as Lagos State governor in 2027.

The endorsement was made by the Coalition of Nigerian Youth Leaders (CONYL), which represents youth groups across the six geopolitical zones of the country.

The CONYL issued the endorsement statement on Tuesday in Owerri, Imo State, asserting that Seyi Tinubu is free to run for governor in either Osun or Imo State, where his family is reportedly from.

However, in a statement signed on their behalf by Abdul Kareem Whyte, the Lagos indigenous youths, who criticised this move, said that non-indigenes should not be allowed to govern Lagos State.

They emphasised that since 1999, no true Lagos indigene had held the position of governor, and they described the endorsement as an attempt to marginalise the state’s indigenous population.

The group further expressed concerns about the under-development of the state and the distortion of its traditional system due to successive governments.

The youths also warned the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, to be cautious of attempts to gain endorsements from traditional rulers ahead of the 2027 election.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, yesterday, spoke on his ambition of contesting for the governorship in Lagos State, saying that becoming a governor is secondary as he has not given it serious consideration.

He stated this, yesterday, during the presentation of the budget by the governor.

He said: “Of course, I have never denied the fact that I am Obasa. Rather, I have never claimed to be related to Onikoyi, Oniru, or any of the other popular Lagos families as the case may be. I can indeed never run from the fact that I am related to my Obasa family in Ojo. But I do not need local validity to contest or run. If eventually I am contesting, I will do so from Agege.”