Rhodes-Vivour also praised the role played by Obidients during the 2023 elections, urging them to give him time as he sought out his political future.
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Lagos State 2023 governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has urged members of the Obidient movement not to withdraw their support for him, despite his decision not to dump the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).
He made the appeal on Friday in a post shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) page, responding to concerns expressed by supporters who questioned his refusal to defect alongside the 2023 LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and other opposition figures.
Recently, the former Anambra State Governor and former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, left the ADC to join the NDC in their bid to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2027 general elections.
Despite this development, Rhodes-Vivour—who arguably benefited from Obi’s supporters, otherwise known as the Obidient movement, in the past—stayed with the ADC and reaffirmed his commitment to the party.
In a statement, he insisted that the ADC remained the platform he had helped build and defended his decision to stay.
“I want to make it clear that I am staying in the African Democratic Congress. It is the platform we have built, the ground we have fought on, and the vehicle that can take us to victory,” he stated.
Reacting to his decision, an X user identified as @firstladyship warned Rhodes-Vivour that remaining in the ADC could weaken his political chances of becoming the Lagos State Governor.
The netizen further argued that the ADC lacked the political structure needed to challenge the dominance of the APC in Lagos State, noting that former Lagos governorship candidate, Funso Doherty, may become the preferred choice of Obidients if he secures the NDC governorship ticket.
“Should Doherty get the NDC’s gubernatorial ticket for Lagos State, Obidients will vote for him. That’s as much as I know!” the supporter wrote.
While addressing the concerns raised, Rhodes-Vivour admitted that a lot of confusion currently surrounds the opposition’s realignment strategy.
“Thank you so much for the love, the support not just for me, for the movement, for H.E. Peter Obi, but also for Nigeria. Please believe that I will never ever take the support of the Obidients for granted,” he wrote.
He went on to acknowledge and praise the role played by Obidients during the 2023 elections, urging them to give him time as he maps out his political future.
“I understand how you feel and how you see things in this moment. I only ask you for a bit of time. There is so much I wish I could explain,” he stated.
The former governorship candidate also referenced facing a similar challenge when he left the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the LP before the 2023 elections.
“I remember how PDP supporters on this App ridiculed and laughed me to scorn when I left for the LP in 2022. I remember how that story ended,” he said.
He further assured supporters that his political relationship with the Obidient movement would remain intact ahead of the 2027 elections.
“I only ask that you hold on until the end of the month. I promise you, by the end of 2027, we will be closer than we were in 2023,” Rhodes-Vivour concluded.
