Babatunde Fashola

In 2007, Babatunde Fashola was elected as Governor of Lagos State, succeeding Bola Ahmed Tinubu and continuing the Action Congress (AC) party's control of Nigeria's commercial capital. A lawyer and former Chief of Staff to Tinubu, Fashola won decisively against the People's Democratic Party (PDP) candidate despite the party's dominance at the federal level. His election marked the continuation of opposition governance in Lagos, defying the PDP's sweep of most other states during the 2007 general elections.

Fashola's rise represented the institutionalization of Lagos State's opposition politics that began under Tinubu's administration from 1999-2007. As Tinubu's trusted aide and legal advisor, Fashola had been instrumental in the state's legal battles against federal government policies, particularly regarding local government creation and revenue allocation. His selection as successor demonstrated the emergence of a political structure in Lagos that prioritized administrative competence and continuity over traditional political patronage networks.