By Adegboyega Adeleye
The Lagos State governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has said he still represents the values of the Obidient movement despite former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, moving to another political platform ahead of the 2027 elections.
Rhodes-Vivour, who contested the 2023 Lagos governorship election on the Labour Party platform, said he had maintained a cordial relationship with Obi but had grown politically since their joint campaign four years ago.
He stated this on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday while discussing his 2027 governorship bid and the implications of Obi’s decision to join the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC.
“It is very important that I say this, His Excellency Peter Obi is a fantastic politician, I have a fantastic relationship with him. I do not have anything against him,” Rhodes-Vivour said.
He said the movement that rallied behind him and Obi in 2023 was founded on values that remained central to his political identity.
“The Obidient movement was a movement that embraced people that had empathy, capacity, intelligence, and spoke a vision for a better Nigeria and a better Lagos. I still embody all these values and the values have not changed. In fact, I have built more capacity as a politician,” he said.
Rhodes-Vivour said he believed supporters of the movement could still identify with his candidacy in 2027, irrespective of Obi’s political affiliation.
“I still feel that the movement will see me as the candidate they can trust, I will push for a Lagos first agenda, beyond party lines. I have built from the goodwill Lagosians and Nigerians showed me,” he said.
The ADC candidate, however, said he would have preferred a broader political arrangement involving opposition forces ahead of the election.
“Ideally, I would have loved a coalition,” he said.
Rhodes-Vivour said his campaign would focus on issues affecting residents rather than what he described as distractions by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
“What I find with the APC is that they strategically and consistently make us major on the minor and we don’t deal with the real issues that are affecting Lagosians. So, in this campaign season, I’m always going to bring it back to the issue,” he said.
He identified housing and accommodation as major concerns, saying the challenges cut across social classes.
“Our rent situation and accommodation issues are really bad. These are the real issues Lagosians are extremely dealing with. We need to address the issues affecting both the rich and poor in Lagos,” Rhodes-Vivour said.
On concerns about his ability to campaign in Yoruba, the ADC candidate said the substance of his message was more important than the language used to deliver it.
“What is most important is the understanding of the issues. What matters is addressing the issues people are facing,” he said.
Rhodes-Vivour also defended his choice of Gbadamosi as his running mate, describing him as brilliant, consistent and capable of contributing to his campaign’s objectives.
“He is brilliant, I really admire him, he is consistent and he will bring the impact I believe will change Lagos. He has fantastic experience running an estate,” he said.
Comparing his public-service experience with that of his political opponents, including Lagos Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, Rhodes-Vivour questioned how experience had translated into solutions to problems facing residents.
“The person who has experience said traffic is a lifestyle,” he said.
Rhodes-Vivour contested the 2023 Lagos governorship election on the Labour Party platform, campaigning alongside Obi, who was the party’s presidential candidate at the time.
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