One thing is becoming unmistakably clear: as the countdown to the Lagos 2027 governorship race intensifies, the political landscape of Nigeria’s commercial capital is beginning to shimmer with fresh intrigue, powerful calculations, & fascinating possibilities.
And right at the very heart of these conversations, sits a woman many now believe may be preparing, quietly, gracefully, yet strategically, for history.
If you still do not immediately recognize the elegantly radiant, gorgeously stylish, soft-spoken woman here, then allow this introduction to properly place her within the rapidly evolving Lagos power equation.
She is Barrister Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin, the current Secretary to the State Government of Lagos State, the highly influential SSG under the administration of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu.
In the hierarchy of governance within Lagos State, after the Governor & the Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Kadri Hamzat, comes the immensely powerful office of the Secretary to the State Government. It is a position reserved for only the exceptionally trusted, deeply competent, politically mature & administratively brilliant.
And since assuming office on June 8, 2023, Barrister Salu-Hundeyin, by virtually every credible account available within governance & political circles, has handled the office with uncommon finesse, intellect, calm authority & remarkable effectiveness.
Little wonder her name has now begun to echo loudly within strategic APC conversations.
Insiders within the ruling party continue to whisper, increasingly with confidence, that barring any unforeseen political recalibration, the highly cerebral legal luminary may very well emerge as the next deputy governorship candidate of the APC, potentially alongside the widely endorsed governorship hopeful, her immediate boss, Dr. Hamzat, ahead of the crucial 2027 elections.
And truthfully, for those who understand politics beyond noise & optics, such a possibility would hardly come as a surprise.
Barrister Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin is no political lightweight. Neither is she a ceremonial figure within governance.
Long before the floodlights of Lagos politics fully found her, she had already built an intimidating resume of competence, influence & public service.
Before becoming Lagos State’s highly resourceful SSG, she served as Special Adviser (Legal) to former FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed. Prior to that, she represented Lagos State at the National Population Commission (NPC), where her brilliance earned continental recognition, eventually leading to her emergence in 2019 as Chairperson of the African Union-African Population Experts Committee.
An accomplished scholar & refined intellectual, she attended the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, then University of Ife, where she was reportedly a roommate of Nigeria’s elegant 1st Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.
Yet perhaps even more captivating than her resume, is the woman herself.
Calm without weakness. Elegant without noise. Powerful without arrogance. Intelligent without theatricality.
At 65, Barrister Salu-Hundeyin carries herself with the grace of old-school refinement, the poise of earned confidence, & the quiet aura of a woman who understands power deeply enough not to shout about it.
Before public office came calling, she had already carved an enviable reputation in the legal profession as Principal Counsel at A & H Abimbola Hundeyin & Co., Solicitors of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
Now, as the political drums of Lagos 2027 grow louder by the day, many observers are beginning to look beyond the usual headlines & familiar names.
Because sometimes, history does not arrive noisily.
Sometimes, it enters the room softly dressed in elegance, intellect, experience & quiet influence.
And perhaps, just perhaps, Lagos may already be watching the unfolding rise of its next Deputy Governor. Can we be right again like we have been in other circumstances?
