The African Democratic Congress (ADC) leders, on Friday, received defectors in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State.
Among the defectors was a media entrepreneur and former Youth Party chairmanship aspirant Ayodele Adio who was accompanied by dozens of his supporters event.
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At the event held at Lekki Phase 1, Mr Adio and his supporters were sworn into the party.
The Lagos State Chairman of the ADC, George Ashiru, was not present. In his stead, the party’s 2023 senatorial candidate for Lagos Central, Yomi Idowu, and the Eti-Osa Local Government Chairman, Elizabeth Ekanem, formally received the defectors into the party, administering the oath of allegiance on behalf of the state leadership.
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Also in attendance to join in receiving the defectors was Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Labour Party’s 2023 governorship candidate in Lagos who defected to the ADC in 2025.
Mrs Ekanem, in her opening remarks, described the ADC as a people-centred political movement committed to national renewal.
“Eti-Osa ADC is standing tall to give a voice to both the present and future generations and to contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s development ahead of 2027,” she said, adding that the party was prepared to address Nigeria’s economic, educational, and humanitarian challenges.
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Mr Rhodes-Vivour’s presence was a clear signal of the party’s broader strategy: to unite opposition voices under one banner.
“We must unite the opposition if we are serious about challenging the ruling party,” he said. “Any election without a united opposition is doomed to fail. We are proud of what Ayodele Adio has done at the grassroots, and we look forward to his contributions to the ADC.”
Mr Idowu described Mr Adio as a fearless community advocate who had consistently supported civic causes.
“His joining the ADC strengthens our resolve to deliver Lagos and Nigeria,” he said, alleging that attempts to frustrate the event reflected the party’s growing influence in the state.
Defector criticises Lagos govt
Speaking at the event, Mr Adio, who led the other defectors, criticised successive administrations in Lagos for what he described as a failure of political imagination, arguing that public service had been replaced by self-interest.
“Nearly five decades after former governor Lateef Jakande warned about poverty beneath our flyovers, those words have become the daily reality for millions in Lagos,” he said.
“While a privileged few move around in tinted SUVs, the rest of the city is drowning in waste, open sewers, and unaffordable housing.”
He said the rising cost of rent, poor waste management, and deteriorating public health conditions had pushed many young people into despair, drugs, and gambling.
“Good governance should deliver the greatest good for the greatest number, and the ruling party in Lagos has failed in that responsibility,” Mr Adio said, adding that he was joining the ADC to pursue “politics that values every child equally and leaders who are stewards, not masters.”
He thereafter formally declared his membership in the party and was subsequently sworn in.
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