Obanikoro Lagos Governorship ambitions are over, the former minister says, while insisting he won the disputed 2007 Lagos election
Former Minister of State for Defence Musiliu Obanikoro has ruled out any future bid to become Lagos State governor, saying his political ambition is over, while maintaining that he won the state’s disputed 2007 governorship election.
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Speaking on Mic On Podcast, hosted by Channels Television journalist Seun Okinbaloye, the 66-year-old politician said his focus had shifted from elective office to mentoring the next generation of Nigerian leaders.
“It is completely off the table,” Obanikoro said. “I’m 66. At this age, we want to reflect more and do things that will properly help the coming generation.”
Obanikoro said Nigeria’s changing social values and weakening family structure had reinforced his decision to invest more time in developing younger leaders.
“There is a need for people to mentor the coming generation. The family structure has more or less collapsed,” he said. “Our value system is in reverse gear. Let the coming generation be calm and patient. Whether we like it or not, they stand to inherit Nigeria.”
Although Obanikoro Lagos Governorship ambitions have ended, the former Lagos Central senator reiterated his long-held position that he defeated Babatunde Fashola in the 2007 governorship election.
Obanikoro contested the election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after leaving the Alliance for Democracy (AD).
The official result declared Fashola, who contested on the platform of the Action Congress (AC) with the backing of then Lagos governor Bola Tinubu, as the winner.
Asked whether he believed he had actually won the election, Obanikoro replied: “I also believe that we won that election, but you know Nigeria. It is what it is.”
The former minister also said he had no regrets about challenging Tinubu’s political structure despite previously serving as a commissioner during Tinubu’s administration in Lagos State.
“All I wanted to do was to achieve what I set my mind on,” Obanikoro said. “I was not even thinking about whether I was fighting against my own family, the Bola Tinubu political structure. I just felt I wanted to be governor because, at that time, I was full of so many things in my mind.”
Obanikoro has remained an influential figure in Lagos politics for decades, serving as a senator, ambassador and federal minister.
His political career has included periods in different parties, reflecting the shifting alliances that have shaped Nigeria’s political landscape.
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His latest remarks effectively close the door on speculation about another governorship contest while reviving debate over one of Lagos State’s most closely watched elections.
