Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has dismissed the newly unveiled African Democratic Congress governorship ticket of Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and Babatunde Gbadamosi as a political experiment, challenging the opposition candidates to demonstrate the governing experience and political structure required to administer Lagos State.
In a statement issued on Thursday by its Publicity Secretary, Seye Oladejo, titled "Lagos Is Not an Internship Centre: Rhodes-Vivour/Gbadamosi Face a Reality Check," the APC argued that the emergence of the two opposition figures did not, by itself, amount to governing experience or a formidable grassroots political framework. "A political ticket is different from a political structure, while a coalition is not the same as a governing record," Oladejo said. He maintained that running Lagos required proven competence in directing its vast bureaucracy, managing its finances and supervising its complex infrastructure.
The APC spokesman 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 contested the 2019 Lagos West Senatorial election on the KOWA Party platform, later moved to the Peoples Democratic Party, emerged as the Labour Party's governorship candidate in 2023 and subsequently joined the ADC, under which he is again seeking the governorship in 2027. Gbadamosi, he said, contested the 2019 Lagos governorship election on the Action Democratic Party platform, where he polled 4,780 votes, before contesting the 2020 Lagos East Senatorial bye-election on the PDP platform. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with political evolution, but party-hopping is not political institution-building," Oladejo said. "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 acknowledged Rhodes-Vivour's performance in the 2023 governorship election, when he finished second with 312,329 votes against Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu's 762,134 votes. He said the result remained part of the state's democratic record and should be acknowledged, but insisted that electoral performance should not be equated with administrative capacity. "Coming second in a governorship election is different from having a record of governing," he said. He also challenged Rhodes-Vivour's claim that he had spent the period since 2023 building grassroots structures, urging the opposition candidate to demonstrate the strength of his organisation across wards, local governments and polling units. "Let the structure speak for itself. Let us see the wards. Let us see the local-government organisation. Let us see the polling-unit machinery. Let us see the depth beyond social media," he said.
The statement is the latest in an escalating political confrontation between the ruling party in Lagos and the ADC, which unveiled the Rhodes-Vivour/Gbadamosi ticket in August 2026. Gbadamosi, a former gubernatorial candidate and businessman, had previously urged Lagosians to end what he described as the APC's era of a "smelling Lagos" in the 2027 governorship election. He also explained that he opted to run as Rhodes-Vivour's deputy rather than pursue the party's governorship ticket himself, following what he described as extensive consultations. The ADC's decision to pair the two figures, both of whom have significant name recognition and have contested previous elections, was widely seen as an attempt to build a broad opposition coalition capable of mounting a serious challenge to the APC's long hold on Lagos.
The APC has held power in Lagos State since 1999, when the return to democracy ended military rule. The party's dominance has been anchored on a combination of incumbency, control of the state's extensive political machinery and a record of infrastructure delivery that successive administrations have highlighted as evidence of competence. The 2023 governorship election, however, demonstrated that the APC's grip on the state is not absolute. Rhodes-Vivour, then running on the Labour Party platform, secured more than 312,000 votes, a significant increase over the opposition's performance in previous cycles. The APC's 762,134 votes for Sanwo-Olu represented a comfortable margin, but the opposition's ability to mobilise support in key areas of the state signalled a shifting political landscape that the ruling party has been forced to take seriously.
The APC's criticism of the ADC ticket centres on a central argument: that electoral ambition and social media visibility are not substitutes for the institutional depth and administrative experience required to govern a state of Lagos's complexity. Oladejo said listing housing, transportation, healthcare, education, flooding and economic development as priorities was insufficient, urging the opposition to provide details on funding, implementation timelines, costs, responsible institutions and measurable outcomes. "Governance is not a PowerPoint presentation. It is the difficult business of financing, implementing, supervising and delivering," he said. He challenged the ADC candidates to go beyond social media visibility by presenting detailed plans for governing Lagos, including how projects would be financed, implemented and sustained.
The APC's statement also reflects a broader strategy of framing the 2027 contest as a choice between experience and experimentation. By describing Lagos as an "internship centre" that cannot be used for political trials, the ruling party is seeking to disqualify the opposition ticket in the eyes of voters who may be inclined to support change but are wary of entrusting the state's affairs to candidates they consider untested. The APC has said it welcomes the contest and is prepared to present its candidates, structure, record and manifesto to voters, but insists that the emergence of Rhodes-Vivour and Gbadamosi does not, by itself, establish their qualification to govern.
The ADC has not yet issued a formal response to the APC's statement. Gbadamosi has previously framed the 2027 election as a referendum on the APC's record, arguing that Lagosians deserve better than the governance they have received. The party's campaign is expected to focus on issues including infrastructure, transportation, healthcare and economic opportunity, with the candidates presenting themselves as a credible alternative to the ruling party. Whether the APC's characterisation of the ticket as a political experiment will resonate with voters or be dismissed as the defensive posture of an entrenched ruling party will be determined at the polls.
The 2027 general elections are scheduled for January 16, with the presidential and National Assembly elections holding on that date, followed by the governorship and state assembly elections on February 6. Lagos State, as Nigeria's commercial capital and a key electoral battleground, will be one of the most closely watched states in the country. The contest between the APC and the ADC is shaping up to be a defining battle, with the ruling party seeking to extend its 27-year hold on the state and the opposition seeking to capitalise on discontent over the cost of living, infrastructure deficits and the conduct of governance. As Oladejo put it, let the contest begin, but the opposition should not expect Lagosians to confuse political noise with political strength, or electoral ambition with governing capacity.
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