The former Labour Party governorship candidate in the 2023 election in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has formally declared for the African Democratic Congress.
Rhodes-Vivour made the announcement at an event held in Lagos on Saturday.
The development came on the heels of a coalition of opposition parties under the ADC platform seeking to wrestle power from the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2027 general elections.
The party officially formed the coalition in July, courting prominent figures in a bid to build a formidable third force ahead of the polls.
Speaking during the declaration, Rhodes-Vivour described the move as part of a broader coalition.
He said, “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.”
The politician also called for unity among opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“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,” he added.
Rhodes-Vivour had accused the police on Friday of attempting to frustrate the event, which was scheduled to take place in the Alimosho area of the state.
In a statement issued by his aide, Olalekan Anjolaiya, the organisers were said to have duly notified the police about the event.
Our correspondent, however, gathered that security operatives barred Rhodes-Vivour and his supporters from gaining access to the venue on Saturday morning, before it was later moved to another location within the local government area.
Reacting to the incident, he said, “I’m going to address the press later on the events that happened today and those that happened since yesterday. But with this speech, I just want to confirm that I am joining the ADC coalition.”
The Chairman of the ADC in the state, George Ashiru, said the move signalled the strengthening of an opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He also described Rhodes-Vivour’s defection as a historic affirmation of a coalition that had been in the works since the last election.
He said, “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.”
According to him, the coalition was built on a foundation of communication that began during the 2023 polls and had now matured into a common platform to challenge the dominance of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Also speaking at the event, a representative of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Professor Ola Olateju, urged party members to believe in their capacity to provide an alternative for Nigerians.
He said, “We should not look at ourselves as if we are not able or not competent to rescue Nigeria. Anybody here could become anything. There is equal opportunity for everybody irrespective of ethnic group, agenda or class. ADC is not just a political party; it’s a movement, a movement of the people. It is an exodus. We are moving in order to rescue Nigeria.”
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