Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour was the governorship candidate of Labour Party in Lagos State during the 2023 elections. In this interview monitored on Channels Television by EVINCE UHUREBOR, he speaks on his defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and intimidation of opposition parties in the state, among other issues
Why did you dump the Labour Party?
I will not say I dumped the Labour Party. Presently, there are two groups in the Labour Party, as you know. One of them is pro-coalition, and I’ve said this consistently that any opposition that is serious in this country, with the kind of bureaucracy that is currently going on, needs to come together. A coalition is the only way that we can stand a chance in another election in this country.
So the idea is to build a broad-based coalition, unite all political parties and all people in opposition to face the ruling party. So we have joined the coalition. The ADC is the party that the coalition has adopted. And the Labour Party group to which I align are pro-coalition as well. So, I have formally joined the party of the coalition.
That means we can no longer refer to you as a member of the Labour Party…
Certainly, Yes. But like I said, it’s a coalition.
You are likely to contest for governorship again on the platform of the ADC. Is that right?
By God’s grace!
Can you outline how this coalition is different from past opposition alliances in Nigeria, many of which have now struggled with internal divisions?
You see, these broader philosophical ideas are interesting to talk about. I feel that there’s an elephant in the room that we are not addressing right? We can philosophize on our politics all we want but there is a situation where all across Nigeria, opposition parties are trying to gather and have meetings, and they are being met with violence from Kaduna to Gombe to Lagos, which happened last week.
If we want to talk about big ideas in politics, and you find that the federal government and the state government seemingly are trying to create a one party state, if Nigerians do not resist that, and political actors do not come together to resist that, then what is the conversation about any bigger ideal in our politics?
What is the guarantee that there will even be an election at this rate and how would you react to your movement across parties?
You were in the PDP, you left; you have now left the Labour Party…. I was in the Kowa Party; let start from there. I ran for local government chairman.
I joined the PDP, I ran for Senate. I wanted to run for governor; you know the conditions that led me to defect; to leave the PDP. I ran for governorship on the platform of Labour Party and I’ve joined the coalition now.
Why are all of these divisions in politics and how is the ADC that you have joined different?
I see where your question is coming from. Joining the coalition is a very practical step. For me as a politician in Lagos State, having experienced what I did in 2023, and the need to form a broader coalition, the ADC currently is a party that is one of the most stable in relation to opposition politics. It is also the party that is bringing a lot of people together.
So, it will give us more strength, network and capacity to penetrate the grassroots even more. It is equally a party that I believe will be able to make a major difference with the way we are moving and the way that we are building our structures all the way down to the wards and the polling units.
On the other hand, if you look at the current situation of the Labour Party, the Supreme Court has given a ruling earlier this year but up until now, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to interpret that ruling.
Any party or any platform that will not allow me to maximise the common wealth of Lagos for the benefit of its people is a complete waste of time
INEC has not made a stand on who is in charge of the party. Parties need to organise their congresses, they need to start preparing for their primaries. This is September; by March/ April next year, parties are expected to hold their primaries.
So, we don’t have time. We need a party that’s going to be ready to do the work, which is building a robust structure all the way down to the ward level without any distraction. So, that’s the very practical reason why we joined the ADC.
Did you inform the presidential candidate of Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, about your movement, and are you in alignment with him or is he in alignment with you?
Certainly, His Excellency and I are communicating. We are aligned. There is no step that has been taken that he’s not aware of. And again, like I said, we have all agreed that the only way to have a successful election for us in the opposition is a coalition.
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.
What is your view about those who think that President Bola Tinubu is Lagos and Lagos is Tinubu as far as politics is concerned, and do you see yourself one day aligning with Tinubu’s politics in Lagos?
No, I’d rather go and focus on my business and my work and my family. That would be a complete waste of time. The reason why we’re in politics is to make the lives of Lagosians better.
It’s to restore Lagos to its old glory; the glory that a lot of people might not really be familiar with in terms of the history of Lagos and the greatness that Lagos once had.
Any party or any platform that will not allow me to maximise the common wealth of Lagos for the benefit of its people is a complete waste of time.
And as you highlighted, I’ve moved from party, from Kowa Party to the PDP, to Labour Party and now to the ADC but you’ve never heard that I was once in alliance with the Alliance for Democracy (AD) or All Progressives Congress (APC) in any way, shape or form.
That is consistency in my short political career, starting from 2016 because I am convinced that Lagos will be much better and have breath of fresh air If the domination we’ve seen over the years and this thuggery where politicians believe that they don’t have to serve the people are removed. They rely on violence to suppress and intimidate the people, which are things that do not align with me in any way, shape or form.
When some of you talk like this, the people in the APC will begin to wonder whether you have forgotten how Lagos was and how Lagos is at the moment?
You see, it’s very unfortunate because lot of people don’t know Lagos history. Bola Tinubu and most of these people, for example, grew up in Lagos where they opened the tap and water was coming out. Can they do that now without bubbles?
They grew up in Lagos where they could send their children to public schools and get quality education. Can they do that now? They grew up in Lagos where there was affordable housing; thanks to Alhaji Lateef Jakande. People had access to affordable housing.
Have you seen how expensive accommodation is in Lagos State today? Do you realize how difficult it is for people to afford where to live? They grew up in Lagos where the quality of health care was epic. I think there’s been a lot of good propaganda work that has happened because people have quickly forgotten that Lagos was the crucible on which Nigeria was built.
A lot of Nigerian history was formed on the streets of Isale Eko that have been completely destroyed. Go and look at it now, looking like a ghetto. There was an area of Victoria Lagos as far back as 1910, where we had water being pumped.
People were paying water rates. So, when people say this, I think it’s a very big problem because they have a very short understanding and their span of the understanding of Lagos is very limited.
And you now look at when they talk about the so-called developments of Lagos. Look at all the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) that they have raised and all the debt that Lagos is in. And then you realise that even this development they are talking about is mainly pushed by the private sector.
Private individuals from all over Nigeria are developing estates, businesses, thriving in spite of the government. I guess I’m carrying Lagos history that has been passed down. So, my perspective on Lagos and its history is much wider, it’s much further. So, I cannot agree with anybody that will say anything like that.
In your real analysis of the politics of Lagos, do you think that you can displace Tinubu structure of politics in Lagos?
I don’t believe that Lagos belongs to one man. That’s why the entire movement is called Our Lagos. Lagos is our shared responsibility. Lagos is our home. And the idea that Lagos belongs to one man is something that I’m completely against.
The idea that our commonwealth can be commanded by one man for over two decades is something that I’m against. I feel that it’s not about me. It’s not about Gbadebo. It’s about the people of Lagos. It’s about the people of Nigeria. Look at the situation that we have today.
You have local government chairmen going on inner roads that are terrible in Alimosho, with policemen to prevent an opposition party from having a gathering. Look at the state of the roads, all those inner roads, they do not focus on doing them. If they are giving people good quality governance, they will not be bothered by opposition.
They will not be resorting to using violence and intimidation. So, violence is the last refuge of incompetence. They’ve not lifted the lives of people up to use that to campaign, so they rely on violence
