Political commentator Ayobami Ladipo has questioned the electoral record of African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and his running mate, Babatunde Gbadamosi, as the duo prepare for the 2027 Lagos governorship election. In an opinion article, Ladipo argued that while both politicians have built recognisable profiles in Lagos opposition politics, their previous electoral performances raise questions about their ability to translate political visibility into electoral victories.
He pointed particularly to the 2023 Lagos governorship election, in which Rhodes-Vivour, then the Labour Party candidate, polled 312,329 votes against Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who won with 762,134 votes. The Court of Appeal later affirmed Sanwo-Olu’s victory after dismissing Rhodes-Vivour’s appeal.
Ladipo said the 2023 result should form part of the conversation as Rhodes-Vivour returns to the governorship race under a different political platform.
According to him, the key question is not simply whether the ADC ticket represents a new political arrangement, but whether anything significant has changed in terms of its candidates’ electoral support.
He also examined Gbadamosi’s previous contests in Lagos.
In the 2019 governorship election, Gbadamosi, who contested under the Action Democratic Party (ADP), received 4,780 votes, while Sanwo-Olu polled 739,445 votes. The figures are contained in INEC’s declared results for the election.
Gbadamosi later contested the Lagos East senatorial bye-election in 2020 on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform. He polled 11,257 votes against Tokunbo Abiru of the APC, who won with 89,204 votes, according to the result announced by INEC.
Ladipo acknowledged that both men have considerable political experience but argued that political longevity and electoral success should not be treated as the same thing.
He said the 2027 contest would require voters to look beyond party platforms and campaign messaging and consider what each candidate brings to the table, including experience, political organisation and a demonstrated ability to build electoral support.
The commentator also raised questions about the movement of both politicians across political platforms over successive election cycles, arguing that the strength of a political party should go beyond providing a platform for individual candidates.
He said parties seeking to present themselves as alternatives should be able to demonstrate organisational structure, grassroots support, internal cohesion and a clear governing agenda.
Ladipo also referred to the recent controversy surrounding the ADC’s Lagos governorship primary, in which Princess Abiodun Oyefusi challenged the process that produced Rhodes-Vivour as the party’s candidate.
Oyefusi had alleged that votes recorded in her favour were transferred to Rhodes-Vivour during the collation of the primary results. The Federal High Court in Lagos subsequently struck out her suit, holding that the issues raised concerned the internal affairs of the political party. The allegations were therefore not established as findings against Rhodes-Vivour or the ADC.
Ladipo argued that the controversy nevertheless forms part of the political circumstances surrounding the ADC ticket and said parties presenting themselves as alternatives should expect scrutiny of their internal processes.
He also compared the ADC ticket with that of the APC, whose 2027 Lagos governorship candidate is Deputy Governor Kadri Obafemi Hamzat.
Hamzat has served as Lagos deputy governor since 2019 and was re-elected in 2023. He previously served as a commissioner in the state government. The APC formally selected him as its governorship candidate in May 2026.
Ladipo said the difference in political backgrounds would likely form part of the wider debate ahead of the election, particularly around executive experience and familiarity with the machinery of the Lagos State Government.
He, however, maintained that past election results alone do not determine the outcome of a future contest, but argued that they provide voters with a record against which new political claims can be assessed.
For him, the central issue surrounding the ADC ticket is whether the new political platform represents a substantive change or simply another opportunity for familiar opposition figures to return to the ballot.
As the 2027 election approaches, Ladipo said voters would ultimately have to judge the candidates not only by their campaign promises and political alliances, but also by their records, organisation and ability to convince Lagosians that they are prepared to govern the state.
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