Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour: I’ll Quit Politics Before Aligning With Tinubu in Lagos

Former Labour Party governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has declared that he would prefer to step away from politics entirely than align with President Bola Tinubu and his political structure in Lagos.

Rhodes-Vivour, who recently left the Labour Party to formally join the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Saturday, said his ideology and political vision were fundamentally different from that of Tinubu and the ruling party in Lagos.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday, he dismissed suggestions that aligning with Tinubu would be more realistic for achieving his governorship ambitions.

“No. I’ll rather go and focus on my business, work and my family; that would be a complete waste of time,” he said.

The politician further explained that his motivation for being in politics was to improve the lives of Lagosians, not to participate in what he described as “Tinubu politics.”

“The reason why we’re in politics is to make the lives of Lagosians better, to restore Lagos to its old glory. Any party or any platform that does not allow me to maximise the common wealth of Lagos for the benefit of the people is a complete waste of time,” Rhodes-Vivour said.

President Tinubu, a former Lagos governor and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has long been regarded as a dominant force in Lagos politics. However, during the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu lost the state to Labour Party candidate Peter Obi.

Rhodes-Vivour confirmed that Obi was fully aware of his decision to join the ADC and even had a representative at the declaration event.

“Certainly, a representative of his (Obi) was at the declaration yesterday (Saturday). His Excellency and I are communicating, we are aligned, and there is no step that is being taken that he’s not aware of. 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. We have all come to that agreement, and we are all working towards that aim,” he stated.

He also addressed concerns that his followers might be disillusioned by the change of political platform, stressing that joining the ADC was a practical decision.

“We don’t have time, we need a party that is going to be ready to do the work, which is building a robust structure all the way down to the ward level with stability and a platform that can allow this work to be done without any distraction. So that is a very practical reason why we joined the ADC,” he said.

Allegations of Attack in Alimosho

Rhodes-Vivour also accused the Lagos State Police of overseeing an attack on him and his supporters during an event in the Alimosho area on Saturday.

Narrating the incident, he alleged that despite notifying the police of their planned programme at Lion Field in Alimosho, they were denied access after the local government chairman, accompanied by armed men, occupied the venue.

“The police came there. Thugs came in, and the police were behind them; a lot of damage was done. My blood sister had to go to the hospital to get stitched up. My aide was hit, and people who were supposed to benefit from the health outreach were hurt and intimidated,” he claimed.

He added that over 70 buses were destroyed during the incident, accusing the police of supervising the chaos.

Police Denial

In response, the Lagos State Police Command denied Rhodes-Vivour’s claims.

Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Babaseyi Oluseyi, in a statement titled “RE: The Nigerian Police in Collaboration with APC Thugs Working Towards Creating a One-Party State – Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour” said the command was not aware of any such attack.

According to the statement, the police only deployed teams to Alimosho to maintain law and order and were not acting in the interest of any political group.

“It is pertinent to once again set the record straight and inform members of the public that the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, directed the deployment of joint police teams consisting of conventional police personnel, Tactical Squads, and the Police Mobile Force to patrol the entire area of Alimosho LGA and other parts of Lagos State. This was solely to ensure law and order, protect citizens, and guarantee public safety, and not for any political interest or in collaboration with APC thugs, as wickedly alleged by Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour,” the statement read.

The police further clarified that the APC in Alimosho Federal Constituency had formally notified them of its programme, which was peacefully held on Saturday, while Rhodes-Vivour did not submit any notification.

They also denied reports of buses being vandalised, adding that no formal complaint had been lodged by Rhodes-Vivour.

“It is also important to state that for more than 30 hours, going into two days after the purported incident, no complaint or formal report of the allegations made by Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour has been lodged at any police station in Alimosho or any other formation throughout Lagos State,” Oluseyi said.