2027: I’ll win Lagos guber election without Obi, Obidient movement – Rhodes-Vivour

African Democratic Congress (ADC), governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has said he can win the 2027 governorship election without the backing of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi or the Obidient movement.

Rhodes-Vivour spoke on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, where he said his political strength has grown beyond what it was in 2023 and is now rooted in years of grassroots work across Lagos communities.

“Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of 2023 is not Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of 2026. We have been doing the work, we have been building structures in communities, we have entrenched ourselves. We are standing for the people,” he said.

The former Labour Party governorship candidate in Lagos said Obi’s influence was important to the party’s outing in the 2023 election, but added that he now has his own political structure with the capacity to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos.

He said his regular presence in communities facing challenges such as demolitions has deepened trust in his leadership, noting that he has remained close to residents while also providing alternatives to their problems.

Rhodes-Vivour also denied any fallout with Obi, describing him as “a fantastic candidate” and saying they still maintain a cordial relationship despite now being in different political parties ahead of the 2027 election.

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He said he stayed in the ADC because the party has been able to build a strong opposition coalition in Lagos, which he believes is necessary to unseat the APC from power in the state.

“We came into the coalition because we realised that if we have multiple oppositions it will be difficult to take out this present government, and we have succeeded beautifully in Lagos State to build something that I am proud of,” he said.

The ADC candidate said his approach to politics is driven by strategy and planning rather than emotion, while expressing confidence that the party will post a strong showing in the governorship election.

He also dismissed the claim that his popularity is limited to social media, insisting that his support base is spread across communities in Lagos.

Rhodes-Vivour further alleged that the APC held on to power in the 2023 governorship election through violence and not through genuine popularity among voters.