Former Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Lagos, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has dismissed claims that he abandoned the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in his decision to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday, Rhodes-Vivour insisted that Obi was fully briefed on his plans before he formally defected. He added that the former Anambra governor had even sent a representative to his declaration event in Alimosho, Lagos, on Saturday.
“Certainly, His Excellency was aware. A representative of his was even at the declaration yesterday,” Rhodes-Vivour said. “We are aligned. There’s no step that’s being taken that he’s not aware of.”
Rhodes-Vivour formally declared his membership of the ADC at the weekend, joining forces with other opposition figures in what he described as a “rescue mission” aimed at unseating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
His declaration event, initially disrupted by security operatives before being relocated, was used to emphasise the coalition’s goal of building a united opposition bloc capable of mounting a serious challenge in the next general election.
However, his defection has not gone down well with the Labour Party leadership. In a statement issued on Sunday, LP’s interim National Publicity Secretary, Tony Akeni, said Rhodes-Vivour’s decision was premature and contrary to the party’s adopted strategy.
According to Akeni, Labour had already reached a consensus with other opposition groups that no single party could remove the APC in 2027. He argued that Rhodes-Vivour should have followed Obi’s example of engaging other parties without formally exiting LP.
“Again, as I said, we have all agreed that the only way to have a successful election for us in the opposition is a coalition,” Akeni said. “Regardless of where anybody is at this point in time, we have all come to that agreement and we are all working towards that aim.”