The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has said he has no disagreement with former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, despite the political differences between Obi and the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Rhodes-Vivour stated this in an interview with BBC Igbo published on Monday, while explaining his political position ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He said his primary political focus remained Lagos State, stressing that he would continue to make decisions based on what he believes is in the interest of the state.
“I have no issues whatsoever with His Excellency Peter Obi, regardless of what happens at the top level. My first priority and my first love is Lagos State, and I must always make decisions based on Lagos first,” he said.
Rhodes-Vivour recalled that his political journey had previously involved both Atiku and Obi, noting that their political positions had changed across different election cycles.
“The first time I ran for Senate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was a presidential candidate; His Excellency Peter Obi was his vice president,” he said.
He added that the political arrangement changed in the following election, when Atiku and Obi contested the presidency separately.
The ADC candidate said his current membership of the party meant that Atiku remained his presidential candidate, adding that he would work for the success of the party in the 2027 election.
“I’m in the ADC, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is my presidential candidate, that’s where I am, so we are going to do everything we can for our party as the ADC,” he said.
Rhodes-Vivour, however, urged Nigerians to vote for candidates based on their convictions and called for an electoral process where citizens’ votes would count.
“Nigerians should vote for who they believe is going to take them forward, and let’s ensure as a people that our voices are heard, and our votes count,” he said.
On the description of Lagos as a “no-man’s land”, Rhodes-Vivour rejected the claim, saying the state had never been one.
“Lagos has never been a no-man’s land,” he said.
He described the claim as an insult to him and his ancestry, questioning the basis for describing a state where people acquire land through transactions as belonging to nobody.
“But for anybody to say Lagos is a no-man’s land, that’s a very big insult. It’s an insult not just to me, it’s an insult to my ancestors,” he said.
