Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Labour Party’s gubernatorial candidate in the 2023 Lagos State election, has declared his intention to contest for the same slot in 2027.
Rhodes-Vivour, who emerged as the runner-up in the 2023 race, losing to incumbent Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress(APC), disclosed this during an interview on ‘Gold Room’, hosted by actress Iyabo Ojo.
Reflecting on his political journey, Rhodes-Vivour, who contested as the People’s Democratic Party candidate for Lagos West in the 2019 senatorial election, stated that he and his party were addressing the shortcomings that affected their performance in the last polls.
He emphasised his commitment to presenting a stronger campaign and fostering a more robust political structure for the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said: “By God’s grace, I will run for the governorship polls again in 2027. We are working. We gained a lot of traction and saw our mistakes. We saw the loopholes created, and we’re working on that. I think the biggest mistake that has happened in Lagos politics is after elections, the opposition goes quiet. That is not happening this time.
“We’re in people’s faces. We’re doing our best in terms of health outreaches. We have a micro health insurance plan that we’re taking all across the state where people can get treatment of up to N6,000 for free. And just being up-to-date in current affairs and holding the government accountable, calling out when the government is spending our monies in extravagant ways, regardless of the suffering that Nigerians are dealing with.”
Furthermore, the 41-year-old politician stressed the importance of holding Governor Sanwo-Olu accountable, stressing that the state government must prioritise transparency and ensure the efficient utilization of public funds.
Moreover ,Rhodes-Vivour tackled the recurring narrative about his Igbo heritage, highlighting that anyone who challenges President Bola Tinubu’s political dominance in Lagos often has their Yoruba identity questioned or stripped.
He further stated that Tinubu does not embody a true representation of Yoruba values or identity.
“Firstly, anybody that questions the hegemony of Bola Ahmed Tinubu or the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) always has their Yoruba identity questioned or taken from them. I don’t even think he (Tinubu) is a good representative of their ethnicity.
“I don’t believe he can epitomise the Yoruba people compared to the likes of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. We practice an Agberocracy — it’s about violence — who can spend the most money, who can manipulate and tell lies the most, propaganda. For me, as a culture, if this is who we are looking at as our representative, we’ve fallen very badly”, he added.
Furthermore, he refuted claims that Peter Obi is planning to leave the party to align with the PDP ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
He emphasised that Obi is actively working to rectify the shortcomings identified during the 2023 presidential election.