Funsho Doherty, the Nigerian Democratic Congress candidate for Lagos governor in the 2027 election, has unveiled Tolani Animashaun as his running mate, saying her gender was not the reason for the choice.
Doherty said Animashaun was “an eminently qualified professional in her own right, regardless of gender” and would bring diversity to the ticket.
Animashaun, an Ikorodu-born Lagosian, has more than three decades of experience in banking, education, international development and politics.
She has worked at Eko International Bank and served on the board of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission.
She holds a BSc in European Studies with French and Economics from the University of Buckingham.
She also completed UN graduate studies.
“Diversity is important because it helps people to feel included,” Doherty said, adding that women had always been represented on the executive teams and boards he led in the private sector.
Animashaun: I Saw Purpose in the Ticket
Animashaun said she accepted the offer with “immense gratitude and even greater humility.”
“I have seen the toil and the yearning of the people of Lagos,” she said.
“I saw in him and his team a seriousness of purpose.”
Animashaun said she wanted a Lagos where “women take their full and rightful place in the public life” and where government works for all residents.
Asked about her plans for women, she said her presence on the ticket should show that “everything is possible.”
“I’m one of those women who like to champion women without making too much noise,” she said, adding that the planned government’s women’s programme would be inclusive and that promoting the girl child was her passion.
Doherty’s Plans for Lagos
Doherty said his “Ona Tuntun” manifesto contains 34 specific commitments covering health, education, housing, transportation, the environment, jobs, small businesses and government.
He promised 150,000 housing units in four years, with government making land available and providing guarantees to attract private investment.
“We have to invest in those things to collect the waste, but give people the place where they are going to put it,” he said.
Doherty said government would take a larger role in waste management because some private operators use old trucks that break down.
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