Olamilekan Abayomi
Funso Doherty, former African Democratic Congress ADC governorship candidate in Lagos, has formally accepted the nomination of the Nigeria Democratic Congress NDC to contest the Lagos governorship race. In a statement issued on Thursday, Doherty said he joined the NDC after due consultation, careful deliberation and prayerful reflection, and expressed conviction that the new platform will enable the delivery of good governance to every citizen without exception. He stressed that the move was not about personal ambition but about finding a vehicle capable of uniting the opposition and giving Lagosians a credible alternative at the polls.
The decision comes amid deepening divisions within the ADC, the party on which Doherty ran in 2023. He explained that he had hoped the ADC would serve as the vehicle to unite the opposition against the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, but that hope is no longer realizable given the leadership disputes and factional battles that have split the coalition. With some leaders remaining in the ADC and others moving to the NDC, Doherty said each member must now individually decide whether to stay or seek their political aspirations on another platform. He cited the NDC as the path that aligns with his commitment to accountability and public interest.
Doherty is no stranger to Lagos politics and has consistently campaigned on reform, transparency and people-centered governance. He first emerged as ADC’s governorship candidate in 2023, then briefly moved to the Peoples Democratic Party PDP before returning to the ADC in 2024 after the PDP’s leadership crisis. In April 2026 he announced his intention to run again for Lagos governor under the ADC, but the party’s internal conflict between factions led by David Mark and Nafiu Bala pushed him toward the NDC. His defection follows the recent movement of Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to the same party after they exited the ADC over what Obi described as endless court cases and internal division.
His policy pitch for Lagos has remained consistent through his party switches. Doherty has repeatedly argued that Lagos needs urgent fixing, pointing to crumbling schools, overwhelmed healthcare facilities, flooding, traffic congestion and youth unemployment despite the state’s N4 trillion-plus budgets. He has called for investment in free, quality early and basic education, technical and vocational training, compassionate and properly funded healthcare for children, and affordable mass transit by road, rail and water. He also made headlines in late 2025 when he wrote an open letter faulting errors in Governor Sanwo-Olu’s N4.237tn 2026 budget proposal, saying recurrent and capital figures were misstated and the public was denied a chance to scrutinize the bill before passage.
The NDC has been positioning itself as a fresh platform for opposition unity ahead of 2027, and Doherty believes it stands an excellent chance in Lagos. He maintains that the notion of Lagos as an impregnable APC stronghold is faulty, noting that the APC lost the state in the 2023 presidential election. For him, the 2027 decision will rest with the people rather than the political establishment, and his candidacy represents the hopes and dreams of residents who are diligent but denied a modest living. He has pledged to reform the public service, attack corruption, reduce regulatory and tax burdens on small businesses, and redirect funds to education, health and infrastructure.
By accepting the NDC’s nomination, Doherty joins a growing list of prominent opposition figures aligning under the new party ahead of the next election cycle. He says his resolve to serve Lagosians is not negotiable and that the campaign is for the interest of residents, not for himself. With the Lagos governorship race expected to be highly competitive, his move to the NDC sets up another round of political realignment as parties position themselves to challenge the APC’s 26-year hold on the state.
