The Renewal Group endorses Tinubu’s re-election, Hamzat for governor

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Renewal Group (TRG), a political pressure group, has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for re-election in the 2027 presidential election and also backed Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, as its preferred candidate for the Lagos governorship race.

The group’s Convener, Lai Omotola, announced the endorsement on Tuesday during a press conference held in Maryland, Lagos.

Speaking on the decision to support Tinubu’s second-term bid, Omotola said the group’s position was based on the principle of power rotation and the need for continuity in governance.

According to him, since the presidency is currently in the South, it should remain there in the interest of equity and political balance.

He argued that it would be more appropriate for Tinubu, who has already spent four years in office, to complete his second term rather than introducing a fresh candidate from the region.

Omotola stated that despite the economic and social challenges facing the country, the Tinubu administration had maintained political stability through what he described as effective alignment between the executive and legislative arms of government.

He also noted that revenues accruing to the 36 state governments had improved significantly under the current administration compared to previous governments.

The group’s convener further pointed to the performance of the Nigerian stock market, saying it had recorded remarkable growth under Tinubu’s leadership.

“When you aggregate the positives and the negatives, for the sake of continuity, we should allow him to complete his tenure,” Omotola said.

He predicted a massive voter turnout in the 2027 elections, noting that Nigerians were becoming increasingly interested in participating in the electoral process.

According to him, the anticipated high level of participation means politicians would not take voters for granted during the election cycle.

On Lagos politics, Omotola said the group endorsed Hamzat because his emergence would represent what he described as the first organic political transition in Lagos State where a deputy governor directly succeeds a sitting governor.

“This is the first time a deputy governor in Lagos will directly succeed a sitting governor. He has worked within the inner circle of government and we believe he will perform well,” he said.

Omotola described Hamzat as a well-grounded politician capable of sustaining the developmental vision of Lagos State.

He added that the state still requires experienced leadership due to mounting pressure on infrastructure caused by rapid urbanisation and population growth.

Commenting on the opposition, Omotola said opposition parties currently lacked a strong unifying figure capable of effectively challenging an incumbent government.

He stressed that Nigeria’s economic recovery would largely depend on productivity, industrialisation and sustained construction activities.

“For Nigeria to work, Nigerians must work. We are talking about productive work. The only way we can turn the nation around is through a productive economy,” he stated.

Omotola added that government’s responsibility was to create an enabling environment and implement policies capable of supporting productivity and economic growth across the country.