The Lagos State governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour, has said he will campaign in Yoruba ahead of the 2027 election.
Rhodes Vivour, who contested the 2023 governorship election under the Labour Party, made the disclosure during an interview on Arise TV on Thursday.
He was asked about his inability to speak Yoruba, an issue that became a major part of the campaign against him during the 2023 election.
The issue followed an earlier interview in which Rhodes Vivour said he did not “think in Yoruba.”
However, the ADC candidate said he had taken steps to learn the language and had hired a Yoruba teacher.
He explained that language and culture were important when connecting with people in Lagos, adding that he planned to use Yoruba during his campaign.
He said, “Culture and language is very important and I’ve gotten a Yoruba teacher, and I’ve learned Yoruba, and I’ll campaign in Yoruba.”
Rhodes Vivour, however, said language would not be the main focus of his campaign.
According to him, residents of Lagos are facing challenges that affect everyone, regardless of their ethnic or cultural background.
He identified flooding, housing and traffic as some of the major problems facing residents across the state.
“My passionate interest is to ensure that we have a Lagos that no longer stinks,” he said.
Rhodes Vivour said the effects of the problems facing Lagos could be felt by residents across the state.
He argued that issues such as flooding, the housing crisis, traffic and what he described as the loss of dignity among Lagos residents affected people regardless of the language they spoke.
He said the challenges should therefore form part of the major issues to be addressed ahead of the 2027 election.
Rhodes Vivour was the Labour Party candidate in the 2023 Lagos governorship election. He finished second behind the then incumbent Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
