Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour is a former Labour Party governorship candidate in Lagos State. In this interview, he speaks on President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to the United Kingdom and developments within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and other issues. EVINCE UHUREBOR reports

Your party, the ADC, seems to be confused. The party is factionalized; there is the David Mark faction, there is another faction arguing over identity, and they have gone ahead to fix their convention, which is different from the one fixed by the Mark faction. Which of the factions do you belong to, and is ADC standing on a moral high ground to talk about the All Progressives Congress (APC) muzzling opposition political parties, even when they have failed to resolve their issues?

The ADC is not factionalised. Yes, there is a process by which a new leadership comes in and there are some people who are unhappy about that process, and they’ve gone to court. I’ve been in parties that have been factionalised; I mean I was in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before and I know the difference between disagreement and having factions.

Right now, we have a solid house in the ADC. What you alluded to, which is the process through which presidential candidates will emerge and all of that, is still cause for concern for most Nigerians because they are looking for that moment to come. So, they now know that we are following this party but there is a process with the new Electoral Act that says it is either direct primaries or consensus. So, members of the party are going to determine who that candidate will be.

That is why we are pushing the idea of registering on the party’s platform, because once you are registered, you play a part in determining who the candidates for the various elective positions will be. But in relation to every other thing, I know that there have been court processes, there was a judgement that came out last week, and that process is ongoing. But it’s not affecting anything as regards to how we are positioning the party to face the next elections.

How is the membership registration going; has the party been able to resolve issues around meeting the deadline for the e-registration of members, and do you think ADC will survive post-primaries politics?

We have about two million people already registered and we’re pushing the awareness. In relation to something that’s of major concern, I’m not going to be little about it, the process by which a presidential candidate will emerge. Yes, you have a lot of supporters who are passionately supporting their preferred choices. It is not because someone is giving them money or buying their votes. They are passionately supporting.

As a party, we need to manage that. We need to manage those emotions with the practicality of politics. And this comes with the messages, not just from the party itself, but also the leading aspirants as well to let people see the bigger picture because there’s no point complaining about a reality in the country and because your candidate fails to win, you throw the baby away with the bathwater. Everybody must come together as a united opposition, because we saw what happened in the last elections. That is the message for everybody across the spectrum.

And on your question on e-registration; it is a continuous process. You know that there’s a point for the congress and there’ll be a point for the primaries. At that point, the digital version of the registration will be printed and submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). So it’s not so much a deadline per se. It is for this particular moment.

But, obviously, to contest for anything, one must be registered on the digital platform. However, more than anything, I think the fact that direct primary is a potential consideration, anybody that says it is their candidate or nothing should register and play a part in their candidates emerging. There’s no point just twiddling your thumbs and waiting to see the delegates. Now, you are a delegate, so get involved. Register and play your part in determining who will be candidates from the top to bottom.

There are speculations that you took towards Peter Obi and that he was the reason you joined the ADC. Who will give you gusto within the party if Obi fails to get the presidential ticket,? Secondly, the National Publicity Secretary of your party, Bolaji Abdullahi, came out recently to say that there’s a plot to ensure that Nafiu Gombe gets recognised by INEC and it will be game over all of you that tilt towards Mark because Gombe may do a deal with the APC. What’s going to be your way out if that happens?

I joined the ADC in October last year, way before His Excellency Peter Obi joined the party. I’m a member of the ADC now and this is the only opposition as far as I’m concerned. So, my job is to help build the party to be as solid and as formidable as possible in Lagos, at least, and do my part at the national level. Politics is local. How they’re going to determine what happens at the national level will be up to them.

They have more experience in this thing than I do. I’m in ADC and I’m not as much as people think that I jump from party to party. I put my work in to making sure that I’ve done everything possible within a party before one would even consider moving out. So, I’m in the ADC.

And the ADC is the party I’m going to use as a vehicle I’m going to face the next election. In the past three years, I’ve done a lot of work to build my own brand, to engage with people, to show leadership and to be formidable in myself. And partnering with and working with the party and leaders in the party is something that will necessarily happen.

Also, one is bringing value to the table and that is what I’m focused on building. The second part is even if Nafiu Gombe becomes the chairman, it doesn’t mean that we are just going to sit back and just twiddle our thumbs. We are bonafide members of the party. He’s not going to come from Abuja and control what’s happening in Lagos. We must build a consensus and a strong party in Lagos to make sure that whatever happens, we are inevitable. That’s going to be the focus. It’s not something that you just put somebody on top and everybody will just fall in line. We are very formidable and on the ground.

The Obidient Movement, which is linked to your principal came here and said the trend is that you guys have followed Peter Obi because he’s your main principal and he’s gone to the ADC. But one Dr. Peter Agada has just resigned as the financial secretary or so because he says that the Obidient Movement is disorganised. He used the word lack of proper coordination. How would you respond to that?

I think the problem we faced in 2023 was having a movement that was not fully integrated with the party. And for me and for most people, even Peter Obi, I’ve heard him say that it’s about the movement coming fully and becoming one with the party, so that they drive the structure in the party, which creates a much more robust opposition.

While some people might say that in terms of lack of coordination as they would like, the idea is to drive in as many people that have this passion for a better Nigeria into the party and take up positions within the party because it’s not just the Labour Party, it’s not just Obidients. You also have the PDP, who are more experienced politicians. So, there’s passion, there’s experience coming together, and I think that will create a much more robust opposition.

President Tinubu just returned from a state visit to the United Kingdom, where he signed some deals. What is your assessment of his trip?

In relation to the trip to England, the thing that jumps out at me is how the National Security Adviser and the Minister of Defence were in England, sipping coffee most likely in Buckingham Palace or wherever, while bombs were going off in Maiduguri.

I cannot reconcile that. And with the history of things and how things were before Donald Trump people started talking about safety and terrorism and Christian genocide, I cannot reconcile the insensitivity and the carelessness of this government.

I remember that they were talking about President Goodluck Jonathan before they came in, but look at what is happening now. Bombs were going off in Maiduguri and people where in London sipping coffee. I think that is completely disgraceful. In relation to deals that they signed; international trade is important for every country.

But every country should also have its vision to make sure that it gets the better end of the deal. I’m not quite sure that we got the better end of the deal. You shouldn’t be looking at getting a loan to repair your ports and you have to buy steel from England, when you should be thinking about how you can energize your own steel manufacturing.

This comes with leadership and a bigger vision for productivity in the country, which unfortunately is lacking. It’s not just about bringing money; what is the development impact on your country? I think that’s an important factor. It should not just be about headlines, there’s a lot more that drive development in a country.