The former Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has accused the governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, of sealing off the venue of his defection rally to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Alimosho, Lagos State.
Governor Sanwo-Olu’s action reportedly came after Mr. Rhodes-Vivour had paid for the venue for the event slated for Saturday, September 6, 2025.
To ensure that the event never held, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) quickly fixed an “APC meeting” in the venue already paid for by Rhodes-Vivour.
The situation in Alimosho stirred quite a bit of controversy as Rhodes-Vivour accused Sanwo-Olu of using state institutions to suppress opposition voices.
According to him, the police sealed off Lion Field in Alimosho—a venue that had already been approved for a political meeting organized by ADC, which he was set to attend.
Rhodes-Vivour described the move as an “assault on democracy” and claimed it was a calculated attempt to stifle opposition momentum in Lagos.
He emphasized that the necessary approvals had been obtained from the police, yet the venue was barricaded without explanation.
Meanwhile, reports say that the APC held its own meeting at the same location, which further fueled allegations of political intimidation.
To add to the drama, Rhodes-Vivour publicly denied rumors of defecting to the APC.
He called them “completely false” and reaffirmed his commitment to opposing the ruling party’s dominance in Lagos.
“It is a classic case of political tension playing out in public spaces—and it seems the battle for Lagos is far from over,” noted a political pundit.
Other reports, however, said that the APC didn’t exactly block Rhodes-Vivour’s defection rally at Alimosho.
Rather, the police sealed off the venue where ADC was scheduled to hold a meeting.
According to the report, the former Labour Party governorship candidate had announced his defection to ADC and was expected to declare his new affiliation at the meeting.
APC’s alleged involvement
Rhodes-Vivour accused the APC of abusing state institutions to suppress opposition voices in Lagos.
He claimed that they were behind the police action to seal off the venue.
Some sources claimed that Lagos APC is “highly worried” about the “growing opposition momentum”.
“The APC might be nervous about the ADC and Obidients’ growing influence across Lagos, leading them to take measures to disrupt their activities,” said the source.
In response, Rhodes-Vivour condemning the action, described the police action as “an assault on democracy” and an attempt to stifle opposition voices.
He vowed to proceed despite the setback.
He stated that no amount of intimidation would stop him from engaging with the people of Lagos and declaring his new affiliation.
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