Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, a former governorship hopeful for the Labour Party in Lagos State, has officially announced plans to run in the 2027 election.

He revealed that his decision to switch allegiance to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) was part of an effort to build a united front capable of challenging the dominant All Progressives Congress (APC).

During an interview on Arise Television on Monday, Rhodes-Vivour addressed rumours about his departure from the Labour Party, emphasising that his move was motivated by the coalition’s collective decision to adopt ADC as their platform.

“I would not say I dumped LP because, as you know, the Labour Party is divided into two particular factions. One of such factions is pro-coalition. A coalition is a coming together of several political parties, several political thinkers, and the ADC is the party that has been adopted by the coalition. So I cannot come on here and say I dumped the Labour Party. No, we are focused on building a robust coalition. And yes, I am a registered member of the ADC,” he explained.

Rhodes-Vivour, who lost to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in 2023, said the coalition would create the structure needed to mount a credible challenge in 2027.

“I’ve said this several times, by the grace of God, I intend to run in the next election, 2027. My confidence is in the people. The people have shown their strength in 2023. We’ve stayed on ground. We’ve built networks in communities. We’ve learned from mistakes, and we’re still learning. The good thing about coalitions is you’re building your support base, you’re building more contacts and more stakeholders to be able to have a more formidable campaign,” he said.