The Labour Party on Sunday criticised its former Lagos governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, over his sudden defection to the African Democratic Congress, describing the move as hasty and ill-advised.
Rhodes-Vivour, who flew the LP flag in the 2023 governorship election in Lagos, formally declared his switch to the ADC on Saturday at an event in Alimosho, Lagos State.
The event, initially disrupted by security operatives before being relocated, was part of a broader coalition of opposition parties under the ADC platform, aimed at unseating the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2027.
In his declaration speech, Rhodes-Vivour said joining the ADC was part of building a united front against the APC.
“I am happy to become part of this family. I’m looking forward to the union and governance that this party will bring to Nigerians. My prayer is that God will grant our leaders and the party’s structure the wisdom to come together and define a new path for our beloved country,” he said.
The politician, who described the coalition as a rescue mission, added: “This is a coalition that is meant to rescue Nigeria. I have said since after the 2023 elections that we cannot afford to divide the opposition going into the next election.
“We must come together, united through a robust coalition that will stand a chance in 2027 to deliver this country.”
But the LP dismissed his decision as premature, arguing that Rhodes-Vivour should have taken a cue from the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who has continued to engage opposition parties without leaving the LP.
In a statement issued on Sunday, LP’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Tony Akeni, said Rhodes-Vivour’s action showed he had “jumped the gun” and failed to imbibe Obi’s political approach.
“Our party’s view is, therefore, that a rainbow coalition of multi-party colours carrying along Nigeria’s ballot population, driven by a common unifying electorate mobilisation, is what Nigerians need to sack the APC and President Bola Tinubu’s dictatorship out of power in 2027.
“This is the patriotic manual that our party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, is working with, and we as the Labour Party are one with him in it. Without defecting, the understanding involves Labour Party and PO meeting and engaging in broad-based multi-party liaison with all well-meaning opposition political parties,” he stated.
Akeni noted that it was already a settled consensus within the LP that no single opposition party, including itself, could single-handedly dislodge the APC in 2027.
However, he maintained that Rhodes-Vivour’s choice to quit the party was not the way forward.
“Rhodes Vivour should have followed the footsteps of his master. That is what the Labour Party had expected him to do if he were reading well the signs on the wall.
“By jumping the gun and hastily jumping boats, Vivour has shown, from our viewpoint, that he is still to learn some imperative essentials in his young political journey. Politicians who genuinely mean to serve their people should learn to hurry slowly.
“As a political party, the Labour Party wishes him well,” Akeni added.
Meanwhile, the ADC has condemned the attack on its members during the Lagos meeting.
‎The party said the Saturday incident was carried out by political thugs who stormed the church premises where party leaders, including Rhodes-Vivour, were present to formally declare his membership of the opposition party.
The ADC, in a statement on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, condemned the“spilt blood, seized properties, and destroyed vehicles,” adding that the incident amounted to desecrating a church.
‎The party said, “This attack on a church premises is a profound act of desecration by a jittery ruling party that would stop at nothing to silence opposition voices in the country.
‎”If churches and other places of worship are no longer regarded as inviolable, how then does the APC intend to prove to the world that it is not indeed a terrorist organisation? After all, attacking places of worship is what terrorists do.”
‎The party alleged that the incident in Lagos followed a pattern of clampdowns against its leaders and members in other states, citing episodes in Edo, Kogi, Niger, Kaduna, and Kebbi.
‎It also called on the Nigerian Police to “rise above partisan interests” and ensure that those behind the Lagos attack and similar incidents in other states are identified and prosecuted.
‎The statement added, “Nigerians are watching, and the credibility of our institutions is on trial before the whole world.”
‎While describing the attacks as an attempt to intimidate the opposition, the ADC said it would remain “peaceful, constructive, and courageous” in engaging Nigerians.
