Former Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in the 2023 Lagos State election, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has formally defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), signaling a major realignment in Nigeria’s opposition landscape.
Rhodes-Vivour announced his move during a declaration ceremony held in Lagos on Saturday. His decision comes amid renewed efforts by opposition groups to consolidate ahead of the 2027 general elections, with ADC spearheading a coalition of political forces.
The coalition was established in July as part of a broader strategy to challenge the dominance of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the national and state levels. The party has been courting influential political leaders to strengthen its bid for power.
While addressing supporters, Rhodes-Vivour said his entry into ADC was not an individual journey but part of a larger coalition.
He declared:
“I am happy to become part of this family. I’m looking forward to the union and governance that this party will bring to Nigerians. My prayer is that God will grant our leaders and the party’s structure the wisdom to come together and define a new path for our beloved country.”
Rhodes-Vivour also stressed the importance of unity within opposition parties:
“This is a coalition that is meant to rescue Nigeria. I have said since after the 2023 elections that we cannot afford to divide the opposition going into the next election. We must come together, united through a robust coalition that will stand a chance in 2027 to deliver this country.”
okay.ng reports that the event faced initial disruption after security operatives blocked Rhodes-Vivour and his team from accessing the original venue in Alimosho, Lagos. The rally was later relocated to another site within the area.
State ADC Chairman, George Ashiru, welcomed the defection, calling it a “historic affirmation” of the coalition strategy.
He explained:
“Today we are having one of the most important affirmation programmes where our coalition partners from one of the key blocs in the Labour Party are joining this wonderful family of Nigerians, the African Democratic Congress. We are not affirming one man, we are affirming a movement, but every movement has a leader, and what brother Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour represents is the leadership of a movement that shook Lagos in the last election.”
Also, a representative of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Professor Ola Olateju, urged ADC supporters to believe in their collective capacity. He noted that the party represented more than a structure, calling it “a movement of the people.”
