LAGOS — Lagos State Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday declared that the 2027 general election would be a critical test of Nigeria’s economic reforms, security architecture and democratic maturity, urging Nigerians and the media to ensure that the election is peaceful, credible and issue-driven.
Sanwo-Olu, who spoke at the 7th Annual Freedom Online Lecture held at the Sheraton Lagos Hotel, Ikeja, said Nigeria had reached an important milestone in its democratic history, having sustained an uninterrupted succession of elections since the return to civil rule in 1999.
Speaking on the theme, “2027 Elections: Economy, Security and Nigeria’s Future,” the governor said the 2027 poll would be the eighth consecutive general election since 1999.
He noted that the Fourth Republic had already lasted more than twice as long as the First, Second and aborted Third Republics combined.
According to him, Nigeria’s democratic continuity was particularly significant given the recent military takeovers in several West African countries.
“In a region where the ballot box is under siege, Nigeria’s unbroken run of elections is the anchor, and we should say so,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu, however, cautioned that the achievement should not be taken for granted, recalling that Nigeria’s democracy had been secured at great human cost, with many pro-democracy activists detained, exiled or killed.
‘Subsidy removal was painful, but reforms are working’
The governor, who openly declared his support for President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress, defended the Federal Government’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy.
He said the subsidy had become unsustainable and was draining resources that could otherwise have been deployed to infrastructure, education and healthcare.
“I will not stand here and tell you that it has been painless. It has not,” Sanwo-Olu said, acknowledging the impact of the policy on household expenses.
“But the measure of a reform is not whether it hurts. It is whether it heals.”
The governor cited recent economic indicators which, he said, showed that the reforms were beginning to produce results.
He pointed to second-quarter economic growth of 4.43 per cent, compared with 3.89 per cent in the first quarter, as well as growth in agriculture and services.
He also cited foreign exchange reserves of $53 billion, a trade surplus, improved credit ratings and a decline in inflation from its peak of almost 35 per cent in late 2024 to 15.9 per cent in June.
Sanwo-Olu further highlighted the reported $947 million in formal remittances recorded in July, describing it as the highest monthly figure in Nigeria’s history.
“These are not my numbers. They belong to the National Bureau of Statistics and the Central Bank of Nigeria, and every journalist in this hall can check them,” he said.
“For us in the All Progressives Congress, the position that follows is a simple one. We intend to stay the course, to deepen the reforms, and to make sure that the benefits reach, quickly and visibly, the people who bore the cost.”
Security will determine credibility of election
On security, Sanwo-Olu said insecurity could affect the 2027 election in practical ways, particularly in areas affected by insurgency and banditry.
He warned that insecurity could prevent candidates from campaigning, disrupt the movement of electoral personnel and materials, and discourage voters from turning out.
He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies to begin preparations early.
The governor also praised what he described as the Tinubu administration’s efforts to strengthen national security, citing the expansion of the Nigerian Army, the creation of additional military commands and measures involving the police, forest guards and mining marshals.
He particularly advocated the completion of the State Police initiative, describing it as potentially one of the most consequential reforms in Nigeria’s history.
Drawing from Lagos’ experience, Sanwo-Olu said the Lagos State Security Trust Fund and the Neighborhood Safety Corps demonstrated the value of involving communities and the private sector in security.
“The lesson of two decades is not complicated. Security works best when the people who pay for it and the people who depend on it can see, and hold to account, the people who provide it,” he said.
“That is the whole argument for State Policing in a single sentence.”
‘Economy and security are inseparable’
Sanwo-Olu argued that economic development and security could not be treated as separate policy issues.
“Poverty feeds insecurity, and insecurity strangles the very economy that would cure poverty,” he said.
“When a farmer cannot go to his farm, the nation gets hungrier. When a school is not safe, the country gets another cohort of children who never learned to read.”
He described job creation and investment as essential components of national security, citing Lagos as an example.
According to him, major investments such as the Lekki Deep Sea Port, the Blue and Red Line rail projects and the growth of Lagos as a technology hub were partly dependent on investors’ confidence in the security and stability of the State.
The governor also highlighted several Federal Government youth-focused programmes, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, the Consumer Credit Corporation, the 3 Million Technical Talent programme and reforms to the National Youth Service Corps.
He said Nigeria’s huge youth population could either become “the greatest dividend in our history or the greatest danger to it,” depending on how the country responds over the next decade.
Sanwo-Olu backs Tinubu’s democratic credentials
The governor also defended President Tinubu against concerns about the credibility of the 2027 electoral process, citing the recent governorship election in Osun State as evidence of the administration’s commitment to democratic competition.
He noted that the APC candidate lost the election to incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of another party, who won by more than 60,000 votes.
Sanwo-Olu said Tinubu subsequently congratulated Adeleke and thanked the electoral and security authorities for what he described as a peaceful and transparent election.
“There was a time in this country when ‘federal might’ was a phrase that a ruling party used without irony,” he said.
“Under this President, the ruling party can lose a state, in the South-West, in an election year, and the sky does not fall. That is what a maturing democracy looks like.”
He nevertheless cautioned all political parties against electoral malpractice.
“A mandate is only as strong as the process that produced it,” he said. “No office in this land is worth the life of a single Nigerian, and no victory won by the wrong means is a victory at all.”
Governors will face voters’ ‘ledger’
Sanwo-Olu said the performance of Nigeria’s 36 state governors and the FCT administration would also influence the 2027 elections.
“Nigeria is not one economy but thirty-seven: 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory,” he said.
He argued that voters were capable of judging the performance of their governors based on tangible outcomes.
“Voters may not be economists, but they are excellent accountants. They know whether their State built the road it promised. They know whether the primary health center has a nurse in it. They will bring that ledger with them to the polling unit.”
He also said state governments had benefited significantly from increased allocations following the removal of the fuel subsidy.
According to him, monthly allocations to states and local governments had more than doubled in naira terms, leaving state governments with greater resources and greater responsibility.
“The President has done his part; the money is arriving. What is done with it is on us,” he said.
Calls for credible polls and responsible journalism
The governor warned that the economic and security debate would ultimately count for little if the election itself was not credible.
He commended improvements in Nigeria’s electoral system, including the Electoral Act of 2022, the new Electoral Act of 2026 and the use of technology in voter verification and transmission of results.
He urged INEC to ensure that it was fully prepared for the January 16 presidential and National Assembly elections and the February 6 governorship and state assembly elections.
Sanwo-Olu also appealed to journalists to play a robust role in protecting the electoral process, particularly by combating misinformation and disinformation.
“I am not asking for a compliant press,” he said. “A compliant press is of no use to a democracy; it flatters the powerful and abandons the public.”
Instead, he called for “a rigorous press” that would scrutinise claims made by politicians, including members of his own party.
He warned that anonymous social media accounts and manipulated videos could become major sources of election misinformation.
The governor also urged the media to pay greater attention to women and young people participating in politics.
“I am asking you to look where others do not,” he said, noting that the APC’s deputy governorship candidate in Lagos was a woman.
“Women remain badly under-represented in our politics; cover the women who are running. Young people are trying to break in; cover them too.”
‘I expect APC to win in Lagos’
Although he said he would not appear on the ballot in 2027 because he was completing his second and final term as governor, Sanwo-Olu made no attempt to hide his political preference.
“I will not disguise my hope for the outcome,” he said.
“I expect my party to win, and I expect a second term for President Tinubu to consolidate the Renewed Hope agenda, because an unfinished reform is the most expensive kind.”
He nevertheless said he expected the election to be peaceful and the loser to concede.
Looking beyond the 2027 contest, Sanwo-Olu endorsed Tinubu’s ambition of building a $1 trillion Nigerian economy by 2030.
He urged Nigerians to focus on achieving long-term national goals rather than treating every election as an existential battle.
“We have moved past the era when every election felt like the one that might end the Republic,” he said.
“Let 2027 be remembered not as the election Nigeria survived, but as the election at which Nigeria came of age.”
