A dinner hosted by businessman Femi Otedola brought Lagos State Deputy Gov. Obafemi Hamzat together with Aliko Dangote and Abdul Samad Rabiu ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
Otedola said in an Instagram post published Oct. 19 that the dinner took place the night before in Hamzat’s honor. The photograph showed Dangote Group chairman Aliko Dangote and BUA Group founder Abdul Samad Rabiu at the table with Hamzat. Otedola referred to Hamzat as the “incoming Governor of Lagos State,” a description made before voters have chosen a governor for 2027.
Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lists Hamzat Kadri Obafemi as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Lagos. The commission’s election calendar schedules the governorship vote for Feb. 6, 2027.
Forbes’ 2026 Africa ranking estimated Dangote’s net worth at $28.5 billion, Rabiu’s at $11.2 billion and Otedola’s at $1.3 billion as of March 1, 2026. These are estimates tied to that date, not current valuations. The ranking’s individual net worth estimates differ from nationwide wealth-share figures.
The World Inequality Report 2022 put the top 10%’s share of Nigeria’s wealth at 58% in 2021 and the bottom half’s at less than 6%. The report said estimates for Nigeria were scarce.
In an Oct. 24 opinion column for Premium Times, opinion writer Adeola Akinremi argued that public scrutiny of political money can help voters assess whose interests may be advanced. Akinremi’s broader concern was that wealthy people’s participation in politics may shape decisions on taxes and public spending, with consequences for working-class Nigerians.
Akinremi’s column does not identify a donation, campaign role or policy arrangement involving the dinner’s attendees. The event itself does not establish such a connection. The next scheduled step is the Feb. 6, 2027, vote, when Lagos voters will choose a governor.
