I Want To Make It Clear That I Am Staying In The ADC – Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour

• Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour announces he is staying in the ADC while respecting those moving to the new NDC platform.
• GRV reaffirms his commitment to the ADC, stating his decision is based on conviction and not convenience.
• Despite colleagues shifting to NDC, GRV declares he will remain in ADC to continue the fight for a better Nigeria.

A Statement by Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour

Fellow Lagosians and ADC Party Faithfuls,

My people.

We are living through a defining moment. Our politics is turbulent, the unity of the opposition is being tested, and, for some, it has become necessary to forge different paths. To those who have made the difficult decision to move on to a new platform, I offer my genuine respect and best wishes. These are hard choices, made in hard times, and I do not judge anyone for the path they have chosen. We are all fighting for a better Nigeria, even when our roads diverge.

I want to make it clear that I am staying in the African Democratic Congress (ADC). It is the platform we have built, the ground we have fought on, and the vehicle that can take us to victory. It is not because it is the convenient choice, or that the political winds are blowing in our favour. But because of what brought me here and because of what was paid for me to be here.

The Cost of Conviction

My political journey did not begin in comfort. From KOWA, where we built from nothing, to PDP, to Labour Party — every step I have taken has been guided by one thing: conviction. And when those spaces could no longer serve the people honestly, I moved on out of principle. Every political decision I have ever made has been rooted in that principle, not in personal gain.

I have never compromised with the APC in Lagos. Not when it was convenient. Not when agreements were put on the table. Not when billions were placed before me. I walked away then, and I would walk away again. That is who I am.

The day I declared for the ADC in Lagos, the All Progressives Congress (APC) came with violence. They came to intimidate, suppress, and send a message about who owns Lagos. Nine people were injured that day. Nine people who came out in good faith because they believed that something different was possible for Lagos. We provided medical care for them and stayed with them through the ordeal. My own sister left that ground with eight stitches in her head.

Let that sit for a moment. That is my family. That is the price that was paid simply for the act of declaring — for the act of saying: we are here, we are organised, and we are not afraid. And that was not the first time.

Those of you who were with us in 2023 know what the APC did. You saw it. Some of you lived it. Tens of people, hundreds of people, injured by APC hoodlums during our Labour Party gubernatorial campaign and in the aftermath of the presidential election. People who did nothing wrong except stand for democracy by ensuring their votes counted. I did not sit back. I went to them. We took care of them. I saw the pain. I saw the sacrifice.

In that period, I learned something that I will carry with me for as long as I am in this fight: If you want to protect the people’s mandate, you must have the strength to defend it from the polling unit to the collation centre. Because those who want to take what belongs to the people will not do so with arguments. They will do so with force. And you must be organised enough, rooted enough, and ready enough to meet that.

What we have built

Since 2023, we did not retreat. We did not scatter. We did not lose focus. We built. Across all LGAs in Lagos, we have been doing the work. Ward by ward. Street by street. Community by community. We brought people together — PDP, Labour, ADC, even those who were once on the other side — because we understood one simple truth: a divided opposition will always lose. But a united, organised, and determined force can win.

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To those who have made the difficult decision to move on to a new platform, I offer my genuine respect and best wishes. These are hard choices,We are all fighting for a better Nigeria, even when our roads diverge.
I want to make it clear that I am staying in the (ADC). 🤝 pic.twitter.com/WDIqoaa5JW

— Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (@GRVlagos) May 5, 2026