By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed the newly unveiled Rhodes-Vivour/Gbadamosi governorship ticket as a coalition of ambitions rather than a coalition of governing capacity, insisting that Lagos “is not an internship centre” for politicians seeking their first serious executive experience.
The APC’s position was disclosed in a statement issued by the party’s Lagos State Spokesman, Seye Oladejo, on Thursday, 24 September, 2026, reacting to the unveiling of Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and his running mate, Gbadamosi, as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship ticket for the 2027 Lagos election.
The statement argued that a ticket does not amount to a political structure, a coalition does not amount to a governing record, and social media visibility does not amount to grassroots strength.
Highlighting the political trajectories of both candidates, the APC noted that Rhodes-Vivour contested the 2019 Lagos West Senatorial election on the KOWA platform, moved to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), later emerged as the Labour Party’s 2023 governorship candidate, and has now settled in the ADC as its 2027 governorship candidate.
It similarly noted that Gbadamosi contested the 2019 Lagos governorship election on the Action Democratic Party (ADP) platform, polling 4,780 votes, before contesting the 2020 Lagos East Senatorial bye-election on the PDP platform.
While acknowledging that political evolution was not inherently wrong, the party insisted that party-hopping does not amount to political institution-building, arguing that Lagosians have every right to ask what qualifies the latest combination to administer a state as complex as Lagos.
The statement described Lagos as a sophisticated economy with a huge population, complex infrastructure and demanding urban-management challenges requiring experienced leadership, posing a series of questions regarding the opposition ticket’s governing credentials.
“Where is the governing experience? Where is the record of managing a state bureaucracy? Where is the experience of supervising a state budget? Where is the evidence of successfully running a complex public institution? Where is the tested record of converting campaign promises into government programmes and measurable outcomes?” the statement read.
Addressing Rhodes-Vivour’s 2023 electoral performance, the APC acknowledged that he polled 312,329 votes, finishing a distant second to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s 762,134 votes, describing the result as part of the democratic record.
It, however, argued that coming second in a governorship election does not constitute a record of governing, insisting that the real question for 2027 is whether Rhodes-Vivour and his running mate can demonstrate the institutional depth, political organisation and governing competence required to manage Lagos.
The party further challenged Rhodes-Vivour’s claims of having built grassroots structures since 2023, calling on him to substantiate the claims with visible evidence.
“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. Let us see the political network capable of sustaining a statewide campaign and, more importantly, supporting the enormous responsibilities of government after election day,” the statement read.
On policy direction, the APC noted that while the opposition had listed housing, transportation, healthcare, education, flooding and economic development among its priorities, Lagosians deserved more than a catalogue of aspirations, demanding clarity on implementation, funding and measurable outcomes.
“How much? How soon? Who will implement it? What will it cost? Where will the money come from? What happens to ongoing projects? What measurable results will Lagosians see?” the statement read.
The party maintained that governance was not a PowerPoint presentation but the difficult business of financing, implementing, supervising and delivering, stressing that the difference between wanting to govern Lagos and knowing how to govern Lagos mattered enormously.
Despite its criticisms, the APC declared that it welcomed the emergence of the Rhodes-Vivour/Gbadamosi ticket and the contest it presents ahead of the 2027 election, insisting that the Lagos House could not be won by merely assembling two names on a ticket, but through years of organisation, service, political relationships, institutional knowledge and demonstrated capacity to deliver.
“The opposition has unveiled its combination. But the combination itself is not the qualification. Lagosians will ultimately ask the most important question of all: Why should we entrust the management of Lagos to you?” the statement read.
The party concluded that until the Rhodes-Vivour/Gbadamosi ticket provided convincing answers to that question with evidence rather than rhetoric, their combination remained exactly that, a combination, not yet a pathway to Lagos House.
