Former Labour Party governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has defended his decision to join the African Democratic Congress, saying the move is part of efforts to strengthen a coalition aimed at unseating the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2027 elections.
PUNCH Online reports that Rhodes-Vivour had officially joined the African Democratic Congress in early September 2025, a move that was seen as part of a broader opposition coalition strategy aimed at uniting disaffected factions from LP, APC, and PDP to mount a stronger challenge in 2027.
The Labour Party reacted sharply, calling Rhodes-Vivour’s defection “hasty” and “ill-advised,” accusing him of leaving at a time when LP is trying to consolidate its own internal structure. Rhodes-Vivour responded that he informed Peter Obi before joining ADC.
Speaking on Arise Television on Monday, Rhodes-Vivour dismissed claims that he dumped the Labour Party, stressing that the opposition was working to build a broad-based alliance.
He said, “I would not say I dumped LP because, as you know, the Labour Party is divided into two particular factions. One of such factions is pro-coalition. A coalition is a coming together of several political parties, several political thinkers, and the ADC is the party that has been adopted by the coalition. So I cannot come on here and say I dumped the Labour Party. No, we are focused on building a robust coalition. And yes, I am a registered member of the ADC.”
Rhodes-Vivour, who contested against Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the 2023 polls, declared his intention to run again in 2027, expressing optimism that the coalition would provide the platform to challenge the APC’s dominance.
“I’ve said this several times, by the grace of God, I intend to run in the next election, 2027. My confidence is in the people. The people have shown their strength in 2023. We’ve stayed on ground. We’ve built networks in communities. We’ve learned from mistakes, and we’re still learning. The good thing about coalitions is you’re building your support base, you’re building more contacts and more stakeholders to be able to have a more formidable campaign,” he said.
He added that the coalition had attracted “formidable” figures from the Peoples Democratic Party, the APC, and the Labour Party, insisting that the opposition in Lagos was more united and better prepared ahead of the next election.
Rhodes-Vivour also decried a recent incident where the police allegedly prevented his coalition from holding a rally at a paid-for venue, only to allow the APC to use the same ground days later.
He said, “We got the approvals. We got the letter. We made the payment. On Thursday they came and occupied the venue. On Saturday, the police supervised and protected the APC to do a rally at the same place that I paid for. The Commissioner of Police needs to explain why that happened. The job of the police is to protect the citizens, not to determine who can do what, when, and how.”
Recall that Rhodes-Vivour planned a welcoming event for himself and Peter Obi under the ADC in Alimosho. The event was to receive supporters and affirm defectors into ADC.
He and his organisers claim they notified the police in advance and got verbal clearance from the Area ‘M’ Command of Lagos Police. Days before the event, Rhodes-Vivour claimed he was told by residents and from reports that the Commissioner of Police had directed that no political gathering should be held.
The next day however, over 80 policemen (plus other forces) were deployed; an armoured personnel carrier was reported; the venue was occupied. When Rhodes-Vivour and his aides went to the venue, they were blocked; the Area Commander reportedly said it was “orders from above”. Attempts to meet with the Commissioner of Police were unsuccessful.
On the day scheduled for the event (Saturday), the APC was allegedly allowed to hold a rally at that same venue under police protection, while the ADC’s event was shut down.
The opposition candidate maintained that the 2027 race would be more competitive, saying the coalition would be better structured, organised, and prepared for the challenges ahead.
