A change is coming from Lagos governorship hopeful Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, who is now ready to campaign in Yoruba.
He shared this update during an interview on Arise TV, his comment addressed a long-running criticism from previous campaigns.
This GRV Yoruba campaign shift comes years after facing backlash over language, in 2023, he was criticized for saying he didn’t “think in Yoruba.”
That comment sparked heavy debate during his first governorship run, many questioned his connection to Lagos culture at the time.
Rhodes-Vivour, now running under the ADC, addressed the issue directly, he explained the steps he has taken since then.
“This tribal thing, speaking language situation and all that. Yes, culture and language are very important and I’ve gotten a Yoruba teacher, and I’ve learned Yoruba, and I’ll campaign in Yoruba, and that is wonderful,” he said.
He made it clear that language alone won’t define his campaign, according to him, real issues facing Lagosians matter more.
This GRV Yoruba campaign message ties into his broader vision for the state, he wants to focus on everyday struggles residents face.
“My passionate interest is to ensure that we have a Lagos that no longer stinks,” he said.
He pointed to flooding, poor housing, and traffic as major concerns, these problems, he said, affect everyone regardless of background.
“All of us are going to, when you translate it all of us are going to hear the smell, everybody is experiencing the failure of our flooding, of our housing crisis, of the traffic, of the loss of dignity of Lagosians, and that connects all of us, regardless of language,” he added.
Rhodes-Vivour previously ran under the Labour Party in 2023, he finished second behind then-incumbent Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
