The Lagos State Deputy Governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Babatunde Gbadamosi, has urged Lagos residents to vote out the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2027 governorship election, accusing the ruling party of presiding over a “smelling Lagos.”

Gbadamosi made the call during an interview on Vanguard’s Politics Hub, where he also explained why he chose to contest the election on the ADC platform after previous unsuccessful attempts to secure the Lagos governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

He said the outcome of the 2027 election would ultimately be determined by the electorate, stressing that there were no guaranteed outcomes in politics.

“There are no certainties. There are no givens. It’s down to the people to choose what they want,” Gbadamosi said.

The ADC deputy governorship candidate cited the recent Osun State governorship election as an example of voters determining the direction of their state, saying Lagosians would similarly have to decide whether they wanted a change in 2027.

“The people of Osun State chose that they were not going to go back to Egypt. They chose freedom four years ago. They chose freedom again this year. It’s down to the Lagosians now,” he said.

Gbadamosi urged Lagos voters to make issues such as access to water, waste management and the general condition of the state central to their decision when choosing a governor in 2027.

He argued that the state’s large population gave residents considerable power to determine its political direction through their votes.

“We have 25 million Lagosians. They have to make up their minds whether they want to end the era of no water in the taps; whether they want to end the era of refuse everywhere, Lagos smelling, stinking from the minute you step out of the plane,” he said.

Asked about his strategy for winning the election, Gbadamosi dismissed the idea of relying on a predetermined political pathway, insisting that victory would ultimately depend on the decision of Lagos voters.

“It’s not a matter of pathways. I will say it again. It is down to the people of Lagos. The people of Lagos have to choose. They have to decide whether they want to keep living in a smelling cesspit, whether they want to keep hearing excuse after excuse,” he said.

He further criticised what he described as excessive emphasis on political appearances and rhetoric without corresponding solutions to the challenges facing residents.

“They have to decide if they want to keep seeing agbada after agbada on their screens, people speaking all manner of English without actually solving the problems,” Gbadamosi said.

The ADC candidate said the 2027 election therefore presented Lagos voters with an opportunity to determine whether the state should continue under the APC or pursue a different political direction.