Rhodes-Vivour defies APC thugs’ attacks, police siege, declares for ADC in Lagos

By KEMI KASUMU

“From New Delhi to Accra to Monrovia, from Monrovia to Accra, and I dare say from Accra to Abuja and to Lagos, the people shall prevail and continue to stand. Good shall prevail ove evil,” Pela said, while congratulating Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and his team for finding their way into the ADC.

Despite the police takeover of the venue earlier chosen for his declaration of defection to opposition coalition’s African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Saturday September 6, 2025 and suspected All Progressives Congress (ADC) thugs attacks on yet another venue, a church premises that was later chosen as alternative, Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour has gone ahead to make good his plan.

The former Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate during the 2023 election in Lagos State had been scheduled to declare for ADC on Saturday with all necessary steps taken including transmitting letters to police authorities seeking for them to carryout their constitutional duty of providing security and protection towards a hitch-free meeting.

By the time Rhodes-Vivour and his team visited the planned venue, Lion Field at Ipaja in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State upon receiving information of security agents presence at the venue on Friday, they met police operatives armed to the teeth confirming what they heard and who told them that they had no permission to use the venue.

The police operatives asked them to go and meet the state Commissioner of Police for him to give his permission for the political event, although political rallies and meetings connected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have been held, lately, in Lagos State and around Nigeria with security and protection fully provided by the police and without interference from the foremost security agency.

“We are not holding political rally but we are holding political meeting, which we have constitutional rights to do. However, we will go right now to meet with the Commissioner of Police to know why his men are here and find out if their .presence is to carryout their constitutional duty of providing us security and protection or what. We will come to feed e public back with what we are told by him,” Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour said.

Another speaker on his entourage, who handled the police aspect, said, “We wrote letters to the Area Command and Gowon Estate Police Divisional Headquarters and they said the had minuted to the Commissioner of Police. Now while we are waiting and planning ahead the Saturday meeting, we got information that police have taken over the venue that we cannot hold the political meeting here,” he said.

It will be recalled how former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, whose hosted ADC meeting venue was attacked by elements believed to be ruling APC thugs, recently, was blamed by the state Police Command for not being informed about the meeting.

The latest action of the Lagos State Police Command, which s believed to be extension of Kaduna’s anti-opposition occurrence, has been described as a calculated attempt by Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government to clampdown on opposition political parties and groups, while allegedly orchestrating and backing political violence against their legitimate meetings and failing in its duty to let police fullfil its duty of providing security and protection for all Nigerians as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Several legal experts have argued that no police permission is required for any Nigerian individual or group to hold either protest rally or political meeting a it is the fundamental right of citizens to do but that all they are required to do is to inform the security agencies particularly the police whose constitutional responsibility it is to provide security and protection against agents of insecurity and other criminal elements for lives and property during and after the meeting.

The declaration at last

In the meantime, at an event attended by representatives of national leaders of the ADC including namely former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former presidential candidate Peter Obi, Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour defied all the odds and stumbling blocks placed on the of his declaration by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Nigerian Police Force, went ahead and made his affirmative statement about the commitment he has made to joining the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Rhodes-Vivour, who thanked members and supporters for making it to the undisclosed venue, said, “I’m going to address the press later on the event that happened today and events that happened since yesterday. But with this speech, I’m just going to address the fact that I’m joining the ADC coalition. This is coalition that is meant to rescue Nigeria and I have said this for the last two years after the 2023 elections that we cannot afford to divide the opposition going into the next election. We must come togethe, united through a robust strong coalition that will be able to stand the chance in 2027 to deliver and rescue Nigeria from these cynics that have taken over this country; people that have refused to give us governance but, instead, want to maintain power with thuggery through violence and intimidation.

“And if we sit back and let this become the new normal, if we sit back and let this define what our politics is, moving forward, the people will not have a voice. Your government will not work for your interest.

“You have people that are so called chairmen of local governments parading with thugs and police on roads that are decrepit, roads that are with potholes everywhere nothing is done, but it’s on these roads that they go and intimidate and cause violence.

“I’m going to address that with the press but I just want to close this by saying I’m happy to become part of this family. I’m looking forward to the union and governance that this party is going to give to Nigerians and my prayer is that God will grant our leaders and the party’s structure the wisdom to be able to come together to define the new path for our beloved country Nigeria. God bless you,” he said.

Earlier in his welcome remarks, Chairman of ADC Lagos State Chapter, Mr. George Ashiru, had said, “All of you know the circumstances of our presence here. We are here because we have a mandate to rescue Nigeria. We have desire, a hope that Lagosians in particular will be part of a vision of a global Lagos, Lagos for everybody, Lagos where we all have an opportunity to have a life and a future for us and our children. That is what ADC stands for.

“And today we are having one of the most important affirmation programmes where our coalition partners from one of the key blocs in the Labour Party are now today coming to this wonderful family of Nigerians, African Democratic Congress.

“I will not ho further into some of the other circumstances until after the affirmation, when we now have the appropriate responses to the media on matters at hand. But let me use this opportunity to begin the most critical reason we are here today, which is the affirmation programme. We are not affirming one man, we are affirming a movement but every movement has a leader and what brother Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour represents is the leadership of a movement that shook Lagos in the last election.

“The wonderful thing about Nigeria is that we were on the opposite sides of the political spectrum two years ago and we were fielding candidates and the candidates were on the field and I was representing and supporting one candidate and he was a candidate.

“But the good thing about it is that there was a communication already even at that time, which today leads to what we call coalition. The coalition did not start three months ago, it started two years ago and today we are celebrating it.

“So, ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, we are the business, we are here for business, the business of rescuing Nigeria,” said the ADC State Chairman.”

Speaking next was Atiku’s representative, Professor Ola Olateju, who urged that, “We should it look at ourselves as if we are not able or not competent to rescue Nigeria. We should not be looking at sir people out there that we are gathering ourselves, we are waiting for the people to come and pick the slots so that we can follow them. Those of you seated here, with the ADC philosophy that we understand and we know, anybody could become anything. There is equal opportunity for everybody  irrespective of your ethnic group, irrespective of your agenda, irrespective of your class.

“ADC is not a political party, it’s a movement. It is the movement of the people. Exodus. Movement of the people. We are moving in order to rescue Nigeria,” he said.

In his remarks, Deacon Ken Pela, Delta State Labour Party governorship candidate in 2023 representing the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, said, “Professor has said much but I just want to add that God has given this earth to man and, usually, what the devil is trying to do is to intimidate man to take control. So the antics we are seeing or we’ve been seeing in the past two days is the antics of the devil.

“Now the only condition for evil to continue to prevail is for good men to stand but doing nothing. We have one good man here leading the Obidient Movement who stood in 2023, who stood and shook the establishment. The evil that had held Lagos State for 24 years was shaken to its foundation. That was just the beginning; 2027 is when it will happen. We were just testing the microphone at that time. So, I continue to urge all good men in Lagos State to continue to stand.

“Years ago in India, against all odds, the people prevailed. After the Civil War in Liberia, against all odds, the people rejected the warlord and elected a woman to be their president. Just last year in Ghana, against all odds, against the establishment, the people and elected their president.

“From New Delhi to Accra to Monrovia, from Monrovia to Accra, and I dare say from Accra to Abuja and to Lagos, the people shall prevail and continue to stand. Good shall prevail ove evil,” Pela said congratulating Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and his team fir finding their way into the ADC.