The Lagos State Deputy Governor and 2027 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Obafemi Hamzat, has said it will be constitutionally difficult for Nigeria to re-adopt regional system of government.

The system was adopted between 1954 and 1966.

Mr Hamzat said this on Friday while speaking at the event titled, ‘Centennial birthday lecture: A century of courage and stewardship of Yoruba democratic legacy,” in Lagos State held in honour of Afenifere leader, Reuben Fasoranti, who clocked 100 years on May 11, 2026.

Mr Hamzat, who represented Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as the chief host of the event, said the number of representation from the South-West, as against those from the North-West alone, in the National Assembly, was insufficient to make the adoption of regionalism possible.

Mr Hamzat said, “Constitutionally, it will be difficult. Constitutionally, Lagos has 24 House of Representatives, Osun has nine, Ondo has nine. If we add the numbers, they won’t be up to those of the North-West. If there’s a vote, you won’t be able to achieve it. That’s the way to do it. But if we wait for (regionalism) to be constitutionalised, it’s not going to work.”

Mr Hamzat said a better alternative was for the South-West governors to collaborate by jointly harmonising their budgets to help their respective states develop together at the same pace.

Stating that this would further provide interstate infrastructure across the region, including the provision of rails from Lagos to Ogun to Ekiti, Mr Hamzat cited the Red Line rail system linking Lagos from Oyingbo with Ijoko, Ogun State, he suggested that a rail system should developed to link other states in the South-West.

He said rather than agitating for regionalism, the South-West should focus on, and make more effective existing inter-state efforts such as the South West Development Commission and the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN).

Mr Hamzat’s comment was in response to a suggestion made by a former member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Ropo Sekoni, who while delivering one of the two lectures at the event, canvassed a return to regional system of government.

“At the dawn of NADECO, it also came up that we should write constitutional framework to allow each region move at its own pace. This has not been achieved,” Mr Sekoni said.