As permutations ahead of the 2027 governorship race gather momentum, Samuel Mawuyon Ajose of Badagry has emerged as one of the most strategic actors within the evolving equation.
Entrepreneur, party stalwart, and recently affirmed Badagry Local Government National Delegate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajose is combining grassroots legitimacy with boardroom influence in ways that extend beyond his coastal base.
Badagry, historically rich yet often described as the most marginalised of Lagos’ five divisions, has long sought a more prominent place in the state’s political architecture.
Ajose’s growing profile is therefore seen by many as both symbolic and strategic: a recalibration of representation within Lagos’ power dynamics.
His affirmation at the APC congress in Badagry signals institutional trust. Within party hierarchies, delegate status confers influence in the internal processes that shape candidate emergence. In Lagos politics, where party structure remains decisive, such positioning enhances visibility ahead of 2027.
In corporate circles, Ajose is widely regarded as a boardroom colossus with his fingers in many pies. As chairman and director across multiple enterprises, he has cultivated networks spanning logistics, real estate, finance, and community development. Associates describe a calculated strategist adept at coalition-building, a skillset as valuable in politics as in commerce.
Central to Ajose’s public persona is his identity as a Batist – an acolyte and committed loyalist of President Bola Tinubu. The term reflects ideological alignment rather than religious affiliation, underscoring his steadfast devotion to Tinubu’s political philosophy and leadership. In this capacity, Ajose has become one of the more visible promoters of the President’s anticipated return to office in 2027.
Across the Southwest, he has been combing nooks and crannies to galvanise support for Tinubu’s second-term bid. From boundary towns to commercial corridors, Ajose’s giant billboards stand at strategic entry points – notably in the ancient city of Ife, the political heartland of Ibadan, and the upscale district of Ikoyi. These installations are not personal campaign declarations but deliberate messaging platforms reinforcing the President’s continuity narrative.
By situating these billboards at symbolic borders and high-traffic gateways, Ajose projects both loyalty and regional coordination. Political observers note that in Lagos’ succession calculus, demonstrable commitment to party leadership often strengthens standing during internal deliberations. His visible advocacy, therefore, doubles as ideological affirmation and strategic positioning.
Within Lagos itself, Ajose is said to be engaging stakeholders across divisions – consulting party elders, youth blocs, traditional institutions, and business leaders. His style is incremental rather than flamboyant, favouring structure over spectacle. It mirrors the methodical approach that has defined his boardroom engagements.
In a significant boost to his growing political momentum, traditional rulers across the Badagry division recently held a closed-door engagement with Ajose, during which they reportedly pledged collective allegiance to his governorship aspiration. Palace sources described the meeting as symbolic of a broader consensus within the historic coastal axis,
positioning Ajose as a unifying figure capable of elevating Badagry’s voice within Lagos’ power structure. The monarchs are said to have expressed confidence that his emergence would signal the beginning of a new dawn for inclusive governance in Lagos State – a transition they believe will fully materialise once he clinches his party’s governorship ticket.
For many in Badagry, his prospective governorship ambition carries emotional resonance. It suggests the possibility of amplifying a division that has often felt peripheral to state power. Yet Ajose’s rhetoric avoids sectional framing. Instead, he advances an integrative narrative, presenting himself as a bridge between coastal economies, mainland commercial hubs, and island financial centres.
Lagos, as Nigeria’s most economically dynamic state, increasingly demands executive competence alongside political dexterity. Supporters argue that Ajose’s entrepreneurial experience, managing complex portfolios and multi-sector alliances, equips him with the managerial discipline required for megacity governance.
The road to 2027 remains competitive and layered, with formidable aspirants expected to emerge. Still, Ajose’s blend of party loyalty, regional mobilisation, and corporate gravitas has repositioned him within the broader conversation.
Among his supporters, confidence is steadily crystallising that the boardroom colossus from Badagry, now traversing the Southwest in vigorous promotion of Tinubu’s renewed mandate, is purposefully converting loyalty and structure into inevitable emergence. For them, the equation is clear and compelling: in championing the President’s return, Ajose is simultaneously consolidating the alliances, credibility, and statewide momentum that position him not just as a contender, but as a natural choice for Lagos’ gubernatorial ticket in due course.
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