The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has dismissed the newly unveiled African Democratic Congress, ADC, 2027 governorship ticket of Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and Babatunde Gbadamosi as a “political experiment”.
Lagos APC Publicity Secretary, Seye Oladejo, made the assessment in a statement on Thursday, arguing that the emergence of the two opposition figures did not, by itself, demonstrate governing experience or the grassroots political structure required to administer the state.
Oladejo said Lagos could not be treated as an “internship centre” for political experimentation, stressing that running the state required experience in managing its bureaucracy, finances and complex infrastructure.
He also questioned the executive experience of the ADC candidates, pointing to their previous participation in different political parties and electoral contests. According to him, Rhodes-Vivour had contested under the KOWA Party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Labour Party before securing the ADC ticket, while Gbadamosi had previously contested under the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party, ANRP, Action Democratic Party, ADP, and PDP.
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with political evolution, but party-hopping is not political institution-building.
“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.
The APC spokesman acknowledged Rhodes-Vivour’s performance in the 2023 Lagos governorship election, when he finished second with 312,329 votes against Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s 762,134 votes. INEC declared Sanwo-Olu the winner of the election, while subsequent court proceedings upheld his victory.
Oladejo, however, maintained that electoral performance should not be taken as proof of administrative capacity. He challenged the ADC ticket to go beyond social media visibility by presenting detailed plans for governing Lagos, including how projects would be financed, implemented and sustained.
“The Lagos APC welcomes the Rhodes-Vivour/Gbadamosi ticket, let the contest begin.
“However, the opposition should not expect Lagosians to confuse political noise with political strength, or electoral ambition with governing capacity,” he said.
