Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Labour Party governorship candidate in the 2023 Lagos State election, has criticised the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu, accusing them of undermining the political agency of Lagos residents ahead of the 2027 elections.
In a statement posted on his official X handle on Tuesday, April 28, Rhodes-Vivour argued that decisions about who governs Lagos State should not be influenced by a single individual or a small political elite.
He said, “The APC, and particularly Mr President, are mistaken to believe they have stripped Lagosians of agency.”
The former governorship candidate also faulted what he described as the concentration of political power in the hands of one man and a small group of influential figures, adding that such an arrangement is unacceptable.
“That who becomes governor or when to remove the said governor is reduced to the feelings or hallucinations of one man and a gang of kleptocrats, is insulting to many and must no longer be tolerated,” he stated.
Rhodes-Vivour maintained that the ultimate authority in a democratic system rests with the electorate, stressing that Lagos residents must have full control over their leadership choices.
“Only the people of Lagos can and must determine those who will lead them. Only them also reserve the right to decide when they are fed up with who governs the state,” he said.
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He further insisted that Lagos cannot be governed based on the preferences of a single political figure, describing the state as larger than individual interests.
“Lagos is bigger than the whims of one man,” he wrote, calling for a shift in the state’s political direction ahead of the next general elections.
Looking toward 2027, Rhodes-Vivour urged voters to reject what he termed entrenched political dominance and to demand accountable leadership.
“In 2027 we must permanently end this babasọpe criminality, and elect a governor that is accountable and beholden to the people of Lagos,” he said.
He concluded by calling for renewed ownership of the state’s political future by its residents, adding, “It is time to restore #Ourlagos in the interest of all lagosians.”