Rhodes-Vivour: Opposition leaders uniting to unseat Tinubu… we can’t afford to split votes again

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the former governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Lagos, says opposition leaders are working behind the scenes to unseat President Bola Tinubu ahead of the next general election.

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Lunchtime Politics on Tuesday, Rhodes-Vivour said conversations are ongoing to build a unified political front.

“The only way that we can move this country forward in terms of the opposition is to come together. We cannot afford to divide our votes again,” he said.

“Add Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s votes to His Excellency Peter Obi’s votes; they’ll completely take out the current sitting president.”

The former LP governorship candidate blamed the outcome of the 2023 elections on the fragmented nature of the opposition and urged all factions to close ranks.

“The conversation now is that we are working to put a coalition together,” he said.

“We are going to hear announcements by tomorrow or the day after, and everybody is coming together.

“That’s our main focus. At that point, we can then authoritatively say this is the party that we are going to run on.”

Rhodes-Vivour also carpeted Tinubu’s administration, describing it as a disappointment in both economic and social terms.

“This government ultimately has been a failure,” he said.

“When you talk about the quality of life, the cost of living, this is the highest cost-of-living crisis that Nigeria has faced in the last 40 years.”

He accused the federal government of mishandling the country’s security architecture, citing a staggering number of casualties due to the rising insecurity.

“You look at security: over 10,000 people have died in the north, and about 7,000 people have died in the south,” he said.

“On the international tourism index, we have gone from number eight to number six.

“You can talk of policies all you want, but if people are experiencing hardship, and simultaneously, you are renovating the vice- president’s residence with N20 billion. The government is spending extravagantly.”

The LP chieftain also criticised the Lagos state government, saying it was more concerned with maintaining political dominance than addressing the needs of residents.

He accused Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos governor, of serving party interests rather than the public good.