Rhodes-Vivour: Obidient movement still with me despite split from Obi

By Tolu Temidire

The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has expressed confidence that members of the Obidient movement will support his ambition in the 2027 governorship election despite his decision to contest on a different political platform from Peter Obi.

Rhodes-Vivour stated this during an interview on BlackBox, a talk show hosted by Rufai Oseni, where he maintained that the values that endeared him to members of the movement remained central to his political identity.

Asked whether the popularity of Obi and the Obidient movement would still work in his favour in 2027, given that he and the former Anambra State governor were no longer in the same party, Rhodes-Vivour said his longstanding relationship with the movement remained intact.

“I feel that the qualities that movement adopted or welcomed, those are qualities that I still carry. Those are qualities that have been consistent with. I've been with them in the trenches,” he said.

The former Labour Party governorship candidate said his relationship with members of the movement had extended beyond the 2023 general election, noting that he had maintained personal connections with them and continued to support them.

“Even after the election, the aftermath of the election, hospital bills that were paid, and all of that. We build personal relationships across board,” he said.

Rhodes-Vivour argued that his consistency and continued identification with the movement's ideals would sustain the trust of its members, notwithstanding the political differences between him and Obi ahead of the next election.

“I feel that as far as I carry those qualities and those characteristics are still with me, and I've shown consistency, I believe that I'm a trusted figure,” he said.

He added: “I believe that when push comes to shove, that movement is still with me. That's just the honest truth.”

In the 2023 general election, Rhodes-Vivour contested the Lagos governorship election on the platform of the Labour Party, while Obi ran for president under the same party.

Obi won the presidential election in Lagos State, while Rhodes-Vivour finished second in the governorship election behind incumbent Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

However, ahead of the 2027 general election, Obi has moved from the Labour Party to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), where Funso Doherty is the party's governorship candidate in Lagos State.

Rhodes-Vivour, on the other hand, is seeking to govern Lagos under the ADC, whose presidential candidate is former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

He recently said he had no issues with Obi, while reaffirming his support for Atiku as his preferred presidential candidate in the 2027 election.