By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has challenged the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, to go beyond learning Yoruba and demonstrate a deeper understanding of Lagos and its challenges.
The party’s spokesman, Hon Seye Oladejo, made the call in a statement issued on Tuesday, 29 September, 2026 following Rhodes-Vivour’s appearance on Politics Today, where he responded to questions about his Yoruba language ability and family background.
Rhodes-Vivour said during the interview that he had engaged a Yoruba language teacher and would campaign in Yoruba when necessary, but maintained that language and cultural debates should not distract from the issues affecting Lagos residents.
Oladejo acknowledged the development, describing learning the language of the people one seeks to govern as commendable, but argued that speaking Yoruba alone was not sufficient to understand the people, culture, history and aspirations of Lagos.
He said language remained an important gateway to understanding a people because it carried their history, humour, values, idioms, traditions and worldview.
“Because there is a difference between speaking a language and understanding the people who speak it,” Oladejo said, while challenging Rhodes-Vivour to extend his learning beyond language to what he described as “Understanding Lagos 101” and “Thinking in Yoruba”.
The APC spokesman also defended the experience of the party’s governorship candidate, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, against Rhodes-Vivour’s criticisms.
Oladejo noted that Hamzat had served in different public-sector capacities, including as Lagos Commissioner for Science and Technology and Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, before becoming Deputy Governor in 2019. Hamzat was re-elected in 2023 and emerged as the APC’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election.
He argued that while Rhodes-Vivour was entitled to criticise Hamzat’s record and identify areas where he believed the government had fallen short, such criticism did not, in the APC’s view, invalidate the value of experience in public administration.
Oladejo further turned to Lagos’ traffic challenge, arguing that the issue should be approached through detailed policy proposals rather than political sound bites.
He acknowledged traffic as a major challenge in Lagos but said the state’s size, population, commercial activity and transportation demands made mobility a complex governance issue requiring practical solutions.
He therefore challenged Rhodes-Vivour to provide details of his proposed alternatives, including the roads to be built, funding sources, mass-transit plans, implementation framework, timelines and measurable targets.
“It is easy to criticise a moving train from the television studio. Governance begins when you have to drive the train,” Oladejo said.
The APC spokesman also questioned what he described as the contrast between Rhodes-Vivour’s confidence in presenting himself as a solution to Lagos’ challenges and his admission that he was still learning the Yoruba language.
He, however, acknowledged that there was no shame in learning, stressing that language acquisition should be accompanied by a broader understanding of the state’s institutions, economy, infrastructure, security, transportation systems and public administration.
Rhodes-Vivour, in his response during the interview, maintained that language, culture and family background should not distract from what he considers the substantive problems facing Lagos.
He said he would continue to bring the campaign back to issues affecting residents, particularly traffic and living conditions.
Oladejo consequently urged the ADC candidate to place his proposed policies and governing capacity before Lagosians for scrutiny rather than focusing primarily on criticisms of Hamzat.
He said the 2027 governorship contest should be about candidates’ understanding of Lagos, their programmes for governing the state and their ability to translate campaign promises into public policy.
The APC spokesman concluded by urging Rhodes-Vivour to learn the language, history, culture and traditions of Lagos while also presenting a comprehensive programme for the state.
He said Lagosians would ultimately need to assess the candidates not only on their criticisms of the existing administration but also on their understanding of the state and their proposed solutions to its challenges.
