Lagos governorship debate: candidates promise one-year rent cap, 100,000 homes and 4,000 CNG buses

The Lagos State governorship debate took place on Sunday, November 8, with four candidates clashing over flooding, traffic congestion, housing shortages and education, promising a one-year rent cap, 100,000 homes, 4,000 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses and free education. The governorship election is set for February 6, 2027.

Hamzat: a one-year rent cap and 4,000 CNG buses

Obafemi Hamzat of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the incumbent deputy governor, said he would strictly enforce the Lagos State Real Estate Registration Agency Law, under which landlords may collect only one year's rent rather than demanding payment for multiple years, to curb arbitrary rent demands; the state has established 24 housing estates in the last eight years, and he promised more mortgage facilities and the completion of ongoing housing projects. On transport, he said at the debate that the state would deploy 4,000 CNG buses to move one million passengers daily, and introduce 77 electric ferries to expand water transport.

Opposition: 100,000 homes and genuinely free education

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) promised to provide more than 100,000 housing units in his first four-year term and to tackle flooding with technology-driven environmental management. Funso Doherty of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) pledged to make education completely free in Lagos if elected — “truly free, not nominally free”, with no exam fees — and to provide children attending public schools with one affordable meal every day. Deji Doherty of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) raised concerns about the state's debt profile, saying Lagos spends between ₦19 billion and ₦20 billion on debt servicing, a significant burden on the state economy.

Five media houses organised the debate, the first in a series

The debate was organised by the Nigeria Debate Consortium, comprising Channels Television, TVC News, Punch Newspaper, The Cable and Vanguard Newspaper, as the first in a series across selected battleground states ahead of the 2027 general elections. The organisers said the event was designed to provide a credible, non-partisan platform for candidates to present their agendas and for voters to scrutinise their capacity.