Four candidates contesting the 2027 Lagos State governorship election have unveiled contrasting plans for housing, traffic congestion, transportation, security and infrastructure at a governorship debate in Lekki, Lagos.
The candidates are Dr Obafemi Hamzat of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Funso Doherty of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and Adedeji Doherty of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). They spoke on Sunday at a debate organised by the Nigeria Debate Consortium, which comprises Channels Television, TVC News, Punch Newspaper, The Cable and Vanguard Newspaper.
Lagos cityscape — file photo, US Department of State
- Hamzat proposed expanding BRT buses from about 1,000 to 4,000, targeting one million passengers daily
- Rhodes-Vivour promised more than 100,000 housing units in his first four years
- Funso Doherty pledged completely free education in Lagos
- Deji Doherty promised to abolish taxes for teachers and doctors
Housing and traffic take centre stage
On housing, Rhodes-Vivour proposed delivering 100,000 housing units within his first four years, through a combination of luxury taxation to fund social housing, development of the eastern foreshore and decentralisation of development across the state.
Hamzat said the Lagos State Government had delivered 18,000 housing units in the last eight years and planned to expand access to affordable homes through mortgage financing. Deji Doherty proposed that the state government should become a major property developer and build houses residents could rent directly from the government.
On traffic, Hamzat proposed an integrated transport system connecting road, rail and water, alongside the expanded BRT fleet. Funso Doherty alleged that vested interests benefiting from the existing public transport system were responsible for delaying its modernisation — a claim the APC candidate's continuity pitch directly contested.
Rhodes-Vivour and Hamzat clash over Lagos governance
Rhodes-Vivour blamed what he described as decades of bad governance for some of the challenges confronting Lagos residents and promised a technology-driven approach to environmental management and flooding. Hamzat emphasised continuity and expansion of existing infrastructure, unveiling a blueprint built around seven pillars and 100 pledges.
On education, Funso Doherty made one of the debate's biggest promises: completely free education if elected. Deji Doherty, unveiling an agenda tagged Awaken Lagos, promised tax relief for teachers and doctors and criticised Lagos's debt-servicing burden, which he put at between 19 billion and 20 billion naira.
What happens next
The debate, titled A Conversation About Lagos: Its Future and Choices Ahead, is the first in a consortium series across selected battleground states ahead of the 2027 elections, expected to culminate in a presidential debate. The Lagos governorship poll is scheduled for February 6, 2027, and will determine Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu's successor.
Credit: Vanguard, via News Point Nigeria and The Legal Observer reports of November 8–9, 2026.
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