Lagos 2027: Hamzat, Rhodes-Vivour, and Dohertys Clash Over Housing, Transport, Infrastructure, and Healthcare

Governorship candidates contesting the 2027 Lagos State election clashed over competing policy blueprints for urban infrastructure, housing affordability, public transit, and public healthcare during a live televised debate on Sunday.
​Organized by a joint media consortium—comprising Channels Television, TVC News, The PUNCH, TheCable, and Vanguard—the debate featured key contenders: incumbent Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Funsho Doherty of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), and Adedeji Doherty of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
​1. Housing Deficit and Rent Regulation
​Soaring rental costs and housing deficits led to contrasting regulatory and direct-intervention proposals:
​Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (ADC): Promised to deliver over 100,000 transparently allocated, affordable social housing units targeted at low- and middle-income residents. He advocated for rent-control legislation requiring landlords to issue a minimum six-month notice before rate increases, backed by a public feedback mechanism to report exploitative practices.
​Obafemi Hamzat (APC): Defended the current administration’s record of constructing 24 housing estates over eight years. He pledged strict enforcement of the Lagos State Real Estate Registration Agency Law to prevent landlords from demanding multi-year advance payments, alongside expanding mortgage facilities.
​Funsho Doherty (NDC): Argued that private developers alone cannot bridge the social housing deficit. He advocated for direct state construction projects and proposed an Ombudsman’s office to eliminate exorbitant agency, legal, and transactional fees imposed on tenants.
​Adedeji Doherty (PDP): Advocated for the state government to act as a major direct landlord. He proposed that Lagos acquire and construct rental units to lease directly to residents, forcing private property owners to lower rates through market competition.
​2. Drainage, Infrastructure, and Wetland Protection
​Disagreements emerged over how Lagos should manage low-lying topography and severe seasonal rainfall:
​Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (ADC): Urged the adoption of modern water management technology modeled after systems in Venice and the Netherlands. He opposed indiscriminate wetland sand-filling, pointing to stilt-based construction in Makoko as a way to allow natural drainage while preserving wetlands as public parks or solar farms.
​Obafemi Hamzat (APC): Maintained that existing primary and secondary drainage channels are effective when routinely cleared. He defended floodplain structure demolitions as necessary to prevent blockages and reaffirmed the thoroughness of environmental impact assessments conducted for major infrastructure projects like the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Road.
​Funsho Doherty (NDC): Attributed urban flooding to systemic governance failures, specifically the destruction of natural wetland retention basins and building approvals granted on drainage corridors. He criticized the lack of proper environmental impact assessments on ongoing coastal highway developments.
​Adedeji Doherty (PDP): Focused on re-engineering existing channels to accelerate runoff into natural outlets and called for dedicated transit arrangements for vulnerable citizens.
​3. Transportation Infrastructure and Gridlock
​Candidates offered distinct strategies to reform public transit across the metropolis:
​Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (ADC): Proposed delivering multi-line intra-state rail within 30 months via private-sector and infrastructure finance partnerships. His platform includes short connector bridges, expanded ferry terminals with park-and-ride facilities, cable cars, and dedicated bicycle lanes.
​Obafemi Hamzat (APC): Outlined plans to expand the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) fleet from 1,000 to 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses targeting one million daily passengers. He also promised 77 electric ferries, a major terminal at Oworonshoki, and full integration of road, rail, and water transport under the unified Cowry Card payment system.
​Funsho Doherty (NDC): Pledged to phase out dilapidated commercial buses and address entrenched informal transport interests that he argued have stalled system modernization.
​Adedeji Doherty (PDP): Proposed constructing strategic bypass bridges—such as routes connecting Kara to Lagos Island/Badagry and Oworonshoki to Epe/Ibeju-Lekki—to bypass heavy port traffic and ease gridlock.
​4. Healthcare Systems and Social Services
​Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (ADC): Committed to establishing 245 ward-level emergency response centers equipped with two ambulances each to reduce delay-related fatalities, while raising health budget allocations toward 15 per cent.
​Obafemi Hamzat (APC): Promised to increase Ilera Eko health insurance enrollment from 1.4 million to one in three Lagos residents. He highlighted ongoing health infrastructure projects, including upgrading 150 primary health centers to 24-hour facilities and establishing a dedicated medical university.
​Funsho Doherty (NDC): Proposed increasing combined budgetary allocations for healthcare and education to 28 per cent, alongside fully free maternal and child healthcare.
​Adedeji Doherty (PDP): Focused on addressing shortages of doctors and medical staff, while offering tax relief for healthcare professionals and incentives for domestic pharmaceutical and medical equipment manufacturers.