Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has challenged the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, to go beyond learning Yoruba and demonstrate a deeper understanding of Lagos and its governance challenges.
The party said while learning the language was commendable, proficiency in Yoruba alone could not substitute for an understanding of the history, culture, institutions and socio-economic realities of the state.
APC spokesperson, Mogaji Seye Oladejo, stated this in reaction to Rhodes-Vivour’s recent appearance on Politics Today on Arise TV, where the ADC candidate disclosed that he had engaged a Yoruba language teacher and planned to campaign in the language.
Oladejo said the development was welcome but raised questions about the extent to which the opposition candidate understood the people and environment he aspired to govern.
He said: ‘There is nothing wrong with learning the language of the people one seeks to govern. Indeed, it is commendable.
‘But it does raise one rather obvious and curious question: If a man aspiring to govern Lagos is only now taking lessons in the language, how deeply has he engaged with the culture, worldview, history, traditions and everyday aspirations of the people he seeks to lead?’
The APC spokesman, however, cautioned against viewing the issue from an ethnic perspective, noting that Lagos was a cosmopolitan state inhabited by people from different parts of Nigeria.
According to him, language could serve as a gateway to understanding a people because it carries elements of history, values, traditions and ways of seeing the world.
He consequently urged Rhodes-Vivour to complement his Yoruba lessons with what he described as ‘Understanding Lagos 101’ and ‘Thinking in Yoruba’.
Oladejo also defended the experience of the APC governorship candidate, Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, against what he described as Rhodes-Vivour’s attempts to dismiss his record.
Hamzat, the incumbent deputy governor, has held several positions in the Lagos State Government, including that of commissioner, before becoming deputy governor.
Oladejo said while Rhodes-Vivour had the right to criticise Hamzat’s record, such criticism could not erase the experience accumulated by the APC candidate through years of public service.
He said the ADC candidate could identify areas where he believed the government had fallen short, but added that ‘criticism does not erase experience.’
According to him, Lagos required a serious debate on governance rather than the reduction of complex issues to political sound bites.
On traffic, Oladejo said Rhodes-Vivour’s criticism of the state’s transportation challenges should be accompanied by details of the alternative he intended to provide.
He challenged the ADC candidate to explain how he would tackle traffic congestion, including his plans for roads, financing, mass transit, implementation, timelines and measurable targets.
‘Lagos is not a village road network. It is one of Africa’s largest urban and economic centres, with enormous population pressure, intense commercial activity and rapidly expanding transportation demands,’ he said.
Oladejo said the issue should therefore not merely be whether traffic existed in Lagos, but what practical alternative each candidate seeking to govern the state was proposing.
He further criticised what he described as the tendency to present Lagos’ governance challenges as issues that could be solved through campaign slogans or television appearances.
‘Lagos is not governed by Instagram posts, television appearances or campaign slogans,’ he said.
‘Lagos is governed through institutions, budgets, planning, infrastructure, security coordination, transportation systems, economic policy and thousands of daily administrative decisions.’
The APC spokesman urged Rhodes-Vivour to allow Lagos voters to scrutinise his own programme, experience and capacity rather than focusing primarily on defining his opponent.
Oladejo said the 2027 governorship contest should centre on competing programmes and the capacity of candidates to translate campaign promises into public policy.
‘2027 is not an audition for television. It is a conversation about the future of Lagos,’ he said.
‘And Lagosians deserve to know not merely who can criticise Lagos, but who understands Lagos-and who can govern it.’