2027: Lagos Governorship Candidates Clash Over Flooding, Traffic, Housing, Education

Daud Olatunji

Four candidates contesting the February 6, 2027, Lagos State governorship election have disagreed over how to address the state’s persistent challenges of flooding, traffic congestion, housing shortages, poor waste management and access to quality education.

The candidates, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the African Democratic Congress, ADC; Obafemi Hamzat of the All Progressives Congress, APC; Funso Doherty of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC; and Deji Doherty of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presented contrasting policy proposals during a governorship debate organised by the Nigeria Debate Consortium in Lagos on Sunday.

The debate, the first public engagement involving the four candidates, provided an opportunity for them to defend their parties’ records, explain their proposed policies and respond to questions on issues affecting millions of Lagos residents.

While opposition candidates questioned aspects of the APC-led administration’s performance, Hamzat, who is the incumbent deputy governor, defended the government’s interventions and outlined plans to expand infrastructure, transportation and social services.

On environmental management and flooding, Rhodes-Vivour attributed some of Lagos’ recurring challenges to what he described as decades of poor governance, promising a technology-driven approach to environmental protection and improved waste management.

The ADC candidate said his administration would prioritise residents’ safety, environmental cleanliness and affordability, arguing that development policies should benefit ordinary residents rather than a privileged section of society.

He said, “All of us are experiencing the damage that has come from bad governance that has been endemic in this state for the last 20 years.

“We want a cleaner Lagos. We want a safer Lagos. We want a more affordable Lagos, and we want a Lagos that works for everybody, not just the privileged few.”

However, Hamzat defended the state’s drainage infrastructure, describing its network as fantastic.

He argued that the major challenge was ensuring that drainage channels remained free of refuse and other obstructions to allow water to flow freely into the creeks.

The APC candidate maintained that effective maintenance of existing infrastructure was critical to reducing flooding across the state.

On the perennial traffic congestion confronting motorists and commuters, Hamzat unveiled plans to strengthen the state’s multi-modal transportation system through investments in rail, roads and waterways.

He said the APC administration was targeting the movement of one million passengers daily through the deployment of 4,000 compressed natural gas-powered buses.

He also disclosed plans to expand water transportation with 77 electric ferries, saying the initiative would increase the number of commuters transported through Lagos waterways and reduce pressure on roads.

Defending the government’s investment in rail infrastructure, Hamzat argued that private-sector financing of railway systems was uncommon across Africa.

Rhodes-Vivour, however, maintained that traffic congestion should not become a normal part of life for Lagos residents, calling for improved water transportation and additional infrastructure to address the growing mobility crisis.

Housing was another major flashpoint, with Rhodes-Vivour promising to deliver more than 100,000 housing units if elected.

The ADC candidate argued that successive APC administrations had concentrated development policies around the interests of affluent residents while neglecting people in rural and underserved communities.

He also questioned the benefits ordinary Lagosians derived from the state’s internally generated revenue, despite the government’s repeated celebration of its revenue performance.