2027: Funso Doherty declares for Lagos governorship, vows to end APC’s hold on State

...says Lagos not a permanent APC territory

Former Lagos State governorship candidate, Mr Funso Doherty, has formally announced his intention to contest again in the 2027 elections, declaring that the era of the All Progressives Congress (APC) dominating Lagos politics is coming to an end.

Speaking during an interview on Silverbird Television on Thursday, Mr Doherty said his decision was driven by a conviction that Lagos deserves better leadership, adding that the outcome of the 2023 presidential election clearly showed that the state is no longer an impregnable APC stronghold.

He said: “In the last presidential election, who won Lagos? APC lost Lagos. That’s a fact."

“The idea that Lagos is permanently tied to APC and cannot be dislodged is fundamentally flawed.”

He confirmed that he would contest under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), expressing confidence that the electorate, and not entrenched political interests, would ultimately determine the outcome.

He added: “I will be in the race in 2027, by the grace of God, absolutely with the PDP. “At the end of the day, the decision people are going to make is whether they are faced with a strong candidate and what their options are. The people will decide it in 2027.”

On national issues, the PDP hopeful faulted the APC-led federal government for worsening economic hardship, rising poverty, and deepening ethnic tensions.

Mr Doherty also called for urgent electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 polls, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to restore public confidence by adhering strictly to its own rules.

He further stressed that voter participation remains the key to credible elections, saying, “If the people come out and 80 percent say this is the person they want, even today, that person will prevail. We must move away from a system where people have to scream for their votes to count.”

Mr Doherty, who contested in the 2023 Lagos governorship election, said he remains committed to uniting opposition forces and presenting Lagosians with a credible alternative to decades of one-party dominance in the state.