Obanikoro Rules Out Lagos Governorship Ambition, Says Focus Is on Mentoring Youth

Former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, has declared that he no longer has any ambition to become the Governor of Lagos State, saying his priority is now to mentor the younger generation.

Speaking during an interview on the Mic On podcast hosted by Channels Television journalist Seun Okinbaloye, the 66-year-old politician said his governorship aspiration is “completely off the table.”

According to Obanikoro, Nigeria needs experienced leaders to invest more time in mentoring young people, stressing that the country’s future lies in the hands of the next generation.

He noted that the nation’s family structure and value system have weakened over the years, making mentorship more important than ever.

“We need to mentor the coming generation. They must remain calm and patient because, whether we like it or not, they are the ones who will inherit Nigeria,” he said.

Reflecting on the 2007 Lagos governorship election, Obanikoro maintained that he believed he won the contest despite the official outcome.

He contested the election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after defecting from the Alliance for Democracy (AD), but lost to Babatunde Fashola of the Action Congress (AC), who was backed by then-Governor Bola Tinubu’s political structure.

Asked whether he regretted challenging Tinubu’s political camp at the time, Obanikoro said he had no regrets, explaining that his overriding ambition then was to become governor.

“At that age, all I wanted was to achieve my goal of becoming governor. I wasn’t thinking about whether I was contesting against my political family,” he said.

Obanikoro is now a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and was recently appointed Director-General of the Obafemi Hamzat Governorship Campaign for the 2027 Lagos governorship election.