Rhodes-Vivour Defends Move to ADC, Says Peter Obi Was Informed

Former Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has justified his defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), insisting that the decision was neither abrupt nor done without the knowledge of LP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Rhodes-Vivour explained that Obi was fully aware of his political move and even sent a representative to witness his formal declaration in Alimosho, Lagos, on Saturday.

“Certainly, His Excellency was aware. A representative of his was even at the declaration yesterday. His Excellency and I are communicating. We are aligned. There’s no step that’s being taken that he’s not aware of,” he said.

Rhodes-Vivour stressed that building coalitions among opposition parties remains the only viable path to unseating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.

However, his defection has sparked criticism from within the Labour Party. The party’s interim National Publicity Secretary, Tony Akeni, described the move as “premature and ill-considered,” arguing that Obi has continued to engage with other opposition forces while still remaining in LP.

Akeni further noted that the consensus across opposition circles is clear: no single party can defeat the APC in 2027 without a united front.

Rhodes-Vivour officially joined the ADC last weekend as part of a wider coalition of opposition parties formed in July, which he described as a “rescue mission” aimed at mounting a formidable challenge against the APC in the next general elections.