Former Lagos State governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has appealed to supporters of the Obidient movement to give him time as he faces criticism over his decision to remain in the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Rhodes-Vivour made the appeal in a post on 𝕏 on Friday while responding to concerns from supporters who questioned his refusal to defect to the Nigeria Democratic Congress alongside Peter Obi and other opposition figures .
Rhodes-Vivour, responding to the emotional post by an Obidient supporter who goes by the name @firstladyship, acknowledged the frustration trailing the ongoing opposition realignments.
He wrote, “Thank you so much for the love, the support not just for me, for the movement, for H.E Peter Obi but also for Nigeria. “Please know that I will never ever take the support of the Obidients for granted.”
The ex governorship candidate praised the role Obidients played during the 2023 elections, urging them to be patient with his political decisions.
“I know how you feel, and how you see things right now. I just want a little time. There’s so much I wish I could explain,” he said.
Rhodes-Vivour likened the situation to his controversial defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Labour Party (LP) ahead of the 2023 elections.
“I remember how PDP supporters on this App mocked and laughed me to scorn when I left to LP in 2022. I know how the story ends.”
He told supporters that he would be politically aligned with the Obidient movement for the 2027 elections.
“All I ask is that you wait till the end of the month. “I promise you at the end of 2027 we will be closer than we were in 2023,” he added.
Lagos Race Supporter Warns
The response followed a long post by the supporter, who warned Rhodes-Vivour that remaining in the ADC could politically hurt his chances in Lagos.
The user said the ADC did not have the political structure to contest the dominance of the ruling All Progressives Congress in the state.
Another supporter said ex-Lagos governorship candidate, Funso Doherty, might be the Obidients’ preferred choice if he gets the NDC governorship ticket.
If Doherty gets the NDC’s gubernatorial ticket for Lagos State, Obidients will vote for him. That’s the much I know!” the supporter penned.
Earlier, Rhodes-Vivour had reaffirmed his commitment to the ADC despite the exit of key opposition figures to the NDC.
“I want to make it clear that I am staying in the African Democratic Congress,” he said. “It’s the ground we have fought on, it’s the platform we have built, it’s the vehicle that can take us to victory.”
