President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff (CoS), Femi Gbajabiamila, has dismissed rumours of running for the Lagos State governorship election in 2027.

Naija News reports that Gbajabiamila, Lagos State Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa and President Tinubu’s son, Seyi Tinubu, have recently been linked to the governorship seat.

However, Gbajabiamila, while addressing the general assembly of the Surulere All Progressives Congress (APC) at the indoor hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos on Saturday, attributed purported governorship ambition to detractors determined to pull him down.

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives said he has no time to think about becoming Lagos State governor because he is currently occupied with his duties as CoS to the president.

He said, “Some people are saying he came back from America about 20 years ago. After spending three to four years, he became the principal officer to the Minority Whip, from there he became Minority Leader, then Majority Leader, and from Majority Leader, he became Speaker.

“They thought that after becoming Speaker, his legislative career had ended, that he had reached his limit and there was nowhere else to go.

“It was like somebody going up and suddenly nosediving downward—that’s the end. Then suddenly, they heard that he was made Chief of Staff.

“They said, ‘If we sit and allow him to continue moving, he will return to Lagos to become governor.’ They think with the way I’m progressing, it’s time to quickly drag me down so I won’t have any standing in Lagos.

“Please tell them it’s not yet time for governorship. There are still two and a half years left—it’s still far. God Almighty knows who will become the next governor.

“My current job as Chief of Staff is so demanding that I can’t even finish it. I don’t have the time to be thinking about governorship.”