UPDATED: Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour abandons Peter Obi, says he'll remain in ADC

The governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the last election, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has announced that he will not leave the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

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Many Nigerians, especially supporters of LP presidential candidate in 2023, Peter Obi, had been awaiting Mr Rhodes-Vivour’s stance after Mr Obi announced his exit from the ADC.

As presidential and governorship candidates of the Labour Party, Messrs Obi and Rhodes-Vivour campaigned together in Lagos and mobilised thousands of voters to their rallies and programmes. Mr Obi eventually won the presidential election in Lagos, while Mr Rhodes-Vivour came second in the governorship election.

After the elections and following crises in the LP, both men recently moved to the ADC. However, Mr Obi announced his exit from the ADC a few days ago and said he was joining the NDC.

On Tuesday, Mr Rhodes-Vivour said he would remain in the ADC.

“I want to make it clear that I am staying in the (ADC),” he wrote on X.

Background

Messrs Obi and Rhodes-Vivour were central figures in the Labour Party’s electoral surge in Lagos during the 2023 general elections. They jointly headlined rallies across the state, attracting large crowds, particularly among young voters.

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In the presidential poll, Mr Obi defeated the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos, securing a symbolic victory.

In the governorship election held weeks later, Mr Rhodes-Vivour polled 312,329 votes to place second, behind the APC candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who won with 762,134 votes, according to official results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Despite losing, Mr Rhodes-Vivour’s performance was widely seen as a significant disruption of Lagos’ long-standing two-party dominance.

Party crisis and defections

After the elections, the Labour Party was engulfed in a protracted leadership crisis, with factions laying claim to the party’s national structure. The internal disputes weakened the party’s cohesion and triggered defections among key figures.

Mr Obi and Mr Rhodes-Vivour subsequently moved to the ADC, a smaller opposition party, in what was interpreted as an attempt to build an alternative political platform ahead of future elections.

READ ALSO: Rhodes-Vivour alleges assault, illegal detention during Lagos demolition exercise

However, Mr Obi’s recent exit from the ADC has unsettled that arrangement and raised questions about the durability of opposition alliances formed after the 2023 polls.

Diverging political paths

Mr Rhodes-Vivour’s decision to stay in the ADC signals a break in political alignment with Mr Obi, at least in terms of party affiliation.

For Mr Rhodes-Vivour, remaining in the ADC may indicate a focus on strengthening his political base within Lagos through a relatively less crowded platform.

Meanwhile, the development is likely to affect supporters who rallied around both men in 2023 under the Labour Party banner. It also adds to the ongoing realignment within Nigeria’s opposition space, where parties continue to grapple with internal divisions and shifting loyalties.