Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Lagos State governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), says he still represents the values of the Obidient movement despite Peter Obi’s move 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 remains on good terms with Obi but has grown politically since their joint campaign.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, he said the Obidient movement was built around empathy, capacity, intelligence and a vision for a better Nigeria and Lagos.
“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, regardless of Obi’s current 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,” he said.
The ADC candidate said he would have preferred a broader coalition involving opposition parties ahead of the election.
“Ideally, I would have loved a coalition,” he said.
Rhodes-Vivour said his campaign would focus on issues affecting Lagos residents, particularly housing and accommodation, rather than what he described as distractions from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He said the housing crisis affects residents across social classes and should be treated as a major campaign issue.
“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,” he said.
On concerns about his ability to campaign in Yoruba, Rhodes-Vivour said understanding and addressing the issues confronting residents were more important than the language used to communicate his message.
He also defended his choice of Gbadamosi as his running mate, describing him as brilliant, consistent and experienced in estate management.
Comparing his experience with that of his political opponents, including Lagos Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, Rhodes-Vivour questioned how experience had translated into solutions to problems confronting residents.
“The person who has experience said traffic is a lifestyle,” he said.
Rhodes-Vivour contested the 2023 Lagos governorship election alongside Obi, who was then the presidential candidate of the Labour Party.