Majority Leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Noheem Adams, on Saturday formally declared his intention to seek re-election in 2027. Adams unveiled a campaign he says is anchored on continuity, infrastructural expansion, and support for President Bola Tinubu’s political leadership in Lagos.
The declaration, held along the Coastal Road corridor in Victoria Island, transformed Eti-Osa Constituency I into a sea of All Progressives Congess colours as several hundred party loyalists, traditional rulers, youth groups, residents’ associations, and political stakeholders gathered beneath blue, red, and green canopies emblazoned with party insignia. Chants of solidarity echoed across the venue as supporters waved banners endorsing Adams as the constituency’s consensus candidate.
What began as a routine declaration quickly evolved into a broader political demonstration, one that fused local development narratives with early positioning for the 2027 general elections.
At the centre of the gathering was a coordinated endorsement not only of Adams, but also of President Bola Tinubu and Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, whom party leaders have openly projected as Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s successor.
The event drew the full weight of APC power brokers within Eti-Osa, including the party’s Central Working Committee led by Murphy Adetoro, members of the Governance Advisory Council, ward chairmen, local government chairmen, former lawmakers, community leaders, and the Lekki Estates Residents and Stakeholders Association.
In speech after speech, speakers framed Adams as a lawmaker whose political value now extended beyond Eti-Osa itself.
Addressing the gathering, Adams traced his renewed ambition to what he described as overwhelming pressure from constituents and party structures who, according to him, insisted that he continue representing the constituency.
“About a month ago, the working community leaders called me to come and explain to all the leaders what I have done within my years in the House of Assembly,” he said.
“And I explained to them the projects I had facilitated through Eti-Osa Constituency I, a lot of projects. And I made them understand that Eti-Osa Constituency I is the most beneficial of the dividends of democracy in Lagos and Nigeria today.”
He argued that the constituency had become a direct beneficiary of both federal and state power because of its strategic political significance.
“The president of Nigeria today, Eti-Osa is his immediate constituency, he lives here with us.
“The first thing he did as president was to come and construct a coastal road for us. We had witnessed traffic lockdown from Lekki-Epe Expressway for five years. Today, I can report to you officially… no traffic anywhere in Eti-Osa. The courtesy is of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Adams declared.
The coastal highway project, controversial in some quarters but celebrated enthusiastically at the rally, emerged repeatedly as a symbol of Tinubu’s continuing influence in Lagos politics and of the constituency’s perceived proximity to federal power.
Adams also credited Governor Sanwo-Olu for responding consistently to local demands.“Anytime I attend any programme in my constituency, I speak to him about the challenges that we are facing,” he said. “The governor will tell me, ‘Noheem, don’t worry, we will attend to it,’ and the governor has attended to so many of our cries and challenges in the state today.”
He listed the rehabilitation of the Lekki-Epe Expressway, installation of solar-powered street lighting, and newly constructed roads among projects that had transformed the constituency.
“Today, the properties of Eti-Osa are appreciated. We are enjoying peaceful coexistence in all administrations. We are all happy in Eti-Osa Constituency I, courtesy of the president, courtesy of the governor, and courtesy of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.”
Yet the rally’s deeper significance lay not merely in Adams’ declaration, but in the unmistakable attempt by Lagos APC figures to consolidate political consensus years ahead of the next election cycle.
Standing before the crowd, Murphy Adetoro described the event as a preview of the party primaries themselves.
“Thus, on the day of the primaries, we will all be behind him,” Adetoro said. “What we are doing today is a rehearsal of what is going to happen on the day of the primary election.”
He announced that the APC’s Central Working Committee across the Eti-Osa axis, alongside all local government chairmen within the constituency, had already submitted formal letters endorsing Adams to party leadership.
“We are publicly declaring our support for President Tinubu whose achievements speak volumes,” he added.
“We have also started working to ensure the victory of Engr. Obafemi Hamzat who will take over from our active governor.”
In perhaps the clearest signal yet of the APC’s determination to reclaim Lagos overwhelmingly after the turbulence of the 2023 elections, party leaders repeatedly vowed that Tinubu would decisively win the state again in 2027.
“Unlike in 2023,” Adetoro said, “Tinubu will win Lagos in 2027 as the people have become more resolute in their support for the president.”
Former lawmaker Yahaya Dosunmu used the occasion to push an even more ambitious proposition: that the next Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly should emerge from Eti-Osa.
“If we have number one and two outside, we are supposed to have three,” he said cryptically, drawing loud applause from supporters.
“I have been attending campaigns since I was 30, but this level of support is exceptional and confirmation that you truly love Noheem and are ready to continue to support him.”
For Adams, the endorsements appeared to serve both as validation and political leverage.
“The endorsement is the way to show that I am available and accessible to our people,” he said, recounting how party elders, APC chairmen, youth leaders, and local government officials appended their signatures to letters backing his candidacy.
“After I signed all these things, I now went to the three local governments to ask, ‘Do you still want me to contest again?’ And they all said they wanted me to run again for the House of Assembly.”
“Based on popular demand,” he continued, “I am here to run. My constituents have said it with voice and they have said it with signature.”
Then came the unmistakable electoral declaration that sent supporters into celebration.
“This time around,” Adams proclaimed, “we are going to win our presidential election. We are going to win our House of Representatives election. And we are going to win our House of Assembly election.”
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