Labour Party wishes Rhodes-Vivour well despite ‘Hasty’ defection

By John Alechenu, Abuja

The Labour Party (LP) has reacted to the defection of its 2023 Lagos governorship candidate, Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing the move as hasty but wishing him well in his political journey.

In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Tony Akeni, the LP said Rhodes-Vivour should have exercised more patience before switching political platforms.

The party, however, stressed that its focus remains on building a broad coalition of opposition forces to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.

According to the LP, the prevailing political reality makes it difficult, if not impossible, for a single opposition party to unseat President Bola Tinubu and the APC. It argued that only a “rainbow coalition” of opposition parties can mobilize Nigerians effectively to break APC’s dominance.

“It is a settled consensus of the leadership of the Labour Party that a single opposition political party, including the LP, facing elections against Tinubu’s APC tyranny in 2027 may come short of victory,” Akeni said.

He explained that the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, is already working within this framework by engaging in consultations with other opposition parties, including the ADC, the PDP, and disenchanted APC stakeholders across the country.

According to him, the ultimate goal is for the coalition to adopt strong governorship and presidential candidates with the capacity to win elections, irrespective of their party platforms.

Akeni noted that this strategy underscores why Obi has remained firmly in the Labour Party, rather than defecting to another platform.

“Rhodes-Vivour should have followed the footsteps of his master. That is what the Labour Party had expected him to do. By hastily switching parties, he has shown that he still has lessons to learn in his political journey. Politicians who genuinely mean to serve their people should learn to hurry slowly,” he stated.

The statement concluded by reaffirming LP’s goodwill towards Rhodes-Vivour despite his decision, saying: “As a political party, Labour Party wishes him well.”

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