Lagos APC challenges the Rhodes-Vivour Gbadamosi ticket, questioning the ADC candidates’ governing experience ahead of the 2027 election
Lagos State APC Publicity Secretary Seye Oladejo on Thursday, September 24, 2026, challenged the African Democratic Congress governorship ticket of Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and Babatunde Gbadamosi, describing the pairing as a “political experiment” ahead of the 2027 Lagos election.
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Oladejo said the unveiling of the ADC ticket did not, by itself, demonstrate the administrative experience or grassroots structure required to govern Lagos, one of Nigeria’s most complex states.
The APC spokesman argued that Lagos required leaders capable of managing a large bureaucracy, public finances and extensive infrastructure.
“Lagos is a sophisticated economy with complex infrastructure and demanding urban-management challenges. Where is the record of managing a state bureaucracy or supervising a state budget?” Oladejo asked.
He also criticised what he described as the candidates’ movement across different political platforms. According to Oladejo, Rhodes-Vivour previously contested under the KOWA Party, the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party before emerging as the ADC candidate.
Gbadamosi, he added, had previously contested under the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party, the Action Democratic Party and the PDP. Oladejo said political movement should not be confused with the development of political institutions.
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with political evolution, but party-hopping is not political institution-building,” he said.
The ADC confirmed Rhodes-Vivour as its Lagos governorship candidate earlier in September, with Gbadamosi as his running mate.
The pairing places the two politicians at the centre of the party’s campaign for the state’s top political office in 2027.
Rhodes-Vivour is returning to the Lagos governorship contest after his 2023 campaign under the Labour Party.
He finished second in that election according to the figures cited by the APC, polling 312,329 votes against Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s 762,134 votes.
The election result was subsequently upheld through the courts.
Oladejo acknowledged Rhodes-Vivour’s performance in 2023 but argued that electoral support alone should not be treated as evidence of administrative experience.
He challenged the ADC ticket to provide detailed proposals for governing Lagos, including how major projects would be financed, implemented and sustained.
“The Lagos APC welcomes the Rhodes-Vivour/Gbadamosi ticket, let the contest begin,” Oladejo said.
“However, the opposition should not expect Lagosians to confuse political noise with political strength, or electoral ambition with governing capacity.”
Rhodes-Vivour has, meanwhile, begun addressing some of the issues that featured prominently during his previous campaign.
In a recent interview, he said he had learned Yoruba and planned to use the language during his 2027 campaign, while identifying flooding, housing and traffic as issues affecting Lagos residents across ethnic and social lines.
The latest exchange reflects the increasingly competitive political atmosphere ahead of the 2027 governorship election, with the APC defending its record in Lagos and opposition parties seeking to build a broader challenge.
For the Lagos APC, the focus is on experience and administrative capacity. For the ADC, the Rhodes-Vivour and Gbadamosi partnership represents its chosen platform for contesting control of the state.
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The 2027 campaign is still developing, and the competing parties are expected to set out more detailed policy positions as the election approaches.
