Every election season, voters are handed thick documents full of pledges and asked to believe them. The campaign that wins trust is usually the one that makes its promises measurable, memorable and difficult to walk away from.

That was the aim on Friday, 30 October 2026, when the All Progressives Congress (APC) presented Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat as its governorship candidate for Lagos State in the 2027 election. Alongside his running mate, Princess Damilola Sonayon-James, he launched a 100-point manifesto titled “The Lagos Promise (Ileri Eko)” to an audience of party chieftains, royal fathers, community stakeholders and ordinary Lagosians at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, National Theatre, Iganmu.

A Promise Framed as a Debt

The manifesto rests on seven pillars: People First, Renewal, Opportunity, the Machinery of Government, Inclusion, Security and Resilience, and Everyday Dignity. Of its 100 points, 87 are firm commitments and 13 are aspirations, a division he described as a social contract between the government and the governed.

He explained that the choice of title was deliberate. “I chose those words with care. A promise is a debt. In Yoruba, we say: Gbese ni Ileri. A promise has weight,” he said. He added that the programme was built on respect, work and truth, and invited residents to study it, test its commitments and hold him to account if elected.

Continuity and Endorsement

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, used the occasion to back his deputy. He described Hamzat as a “dedicated public servant, a dependable partner in governance, and a steadfast advocate for progress,” and noted that the candidate’s experience, competence and loyalty make him a worthy successor.

In the governor’s view, the handover would keep alive the progressive agenda that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu began and later administrations in the state have sustained. He formally handed Hamzat a symbolic baton to represent continuity, and urged him to take his vision to the people.

Speaking on behalf of the Governance Advisory Council, former Deputy Governor Princess Sarah Sosan said: “Dr. Hamzat is hardworking, committed, and loyal to the Lagos development agenda.”

Hamzat, deputy governor since 2019, responded that his plan was to build on the gains of earlier administrations while making government more responsive, inclusive and answerable to the people.

Healthcare and Education

On health, the candidate promised to raise the number of Maternal and Child Centres from 10 to 15, extend the Ilera Eko health insurance scheme to one in three residents, and build two new general hospitals at Ogombo and Ibeju-Lekki. He further promised to renovate 100 primary healthcare centres and complete works already in progress, among them the Massey Children’s Hospital and the general hospitals at Ojo and Somolu.

For schools, he committed to strengthening the EKOEXCEL programme in public primary schools, improving teacher training and pay, and ensuring that every Lagos child can access quality education. A planned University of Medicine and Health Sciences is meant to grow the pool of trained medical professionals in the state.

Moving People Across Land and Water

Transportation takes a large share of the document. Hamzat plans to quadruple the public bus fleet from 1,000 to 4,000 vehicles, extend the Blue Line rail to Okokomaiko, and push the Green Line from Marina towards the Lekki Free Trade Zone. An interchange at the National Theatre Station would link the Red and Blue lines, while road projects such as the Fourth Mainland Bridge, the Lekki-Epe regional road and the second phase of the Opebi-Mende Link Bridge are slated for faster delivery.

The Omi Eko initiative turns attention to the waterways. It envisages 140 kilometres of new water corridors, 15 optimised ferry routes, 25 refurbished terminals and jetties, and 75 electric vessels. The stated goal is to connect road, rail and water so that residents spend less time commuting.

Work, Housing and Safety

For enterprise, the manifesto promises better infrastructure, wider access to digital services and fewer bureaucratic obstacles for traders, artisans, manufacturers, farmers and technology entrepreneurs. It proposes more digital access hubs, support for the technology cluster in Yaba, and internships, volunteering and leadership schemes that bring young people into public service. Young professionals, Hamzat said, would be given the chance to head government agencies on merit.

In housing, the plan is to complete projects in progress, deepen the Lagos HOMS programme, and make home loans more affordable by lowering the initial deposit, bringing interest into single digits and stretching repayment over a longer period.

On safety, the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency would be extended to every ward across the state’s 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas. Better street lighting, wider CCTV coverage and a State Intelligence Fusion Centre are also proposed, together with tighter cooperation among agencies to confront cyber offences, financial fraud and organised criminal networks.

The environmental commitments include completing Adiyan Phase Two to widen access to clean water, rehabilitating 24 micro and mini waterworks, raising the share of waste collected to 95 per cent, and giving informal waste workers training and equipment.

Accountability Built In

The part of the document most likely to be tested is its accountability framework. Within his first 100 days, Hamzat promised to open a Lagos State Service Delivery Office, along with measurable targets for every government commitment and service charters across public offices. The proposed complaints process sets three deadlines for citizens: a grievance must receive acknowledgement in 48 hours, a reply in a week and a resolution within a month.

He also pledged a Child Protection and Nutrition Agency and a State Wealth Fund run by an independent board and backed by published accounts. Town hall meetings are planned across the five IBILE divisions, and a yearly public report would show what has been delivered, which targets were missed and how timelines have been adjusted.

The Path Forward

Hamzat said his ambition is a state that is secure, equitable, tidy and pleasant to live in, where improvements are felt in daily life and not only in policy papers.