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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has promised not to inflate government budgets if elected governor in the 2027 election.
Rhodes-Vivour made the pledge during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday while discussing his plans for Lagos and the differences between his approach and that of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The ADC candidate said his main priority would be improving the quality of life of Lagos residents rather than treating governance as a business.
“My vision is to make impact and enhance the quality of life of Lagosians. I am not here to run a business, I am not here to run a company. I am here to impact maximally the quality of lives of Lagosians,” he said.
Rhodes-Vivour linked his approach to what he described as integrity in public office, insisting that he would not manipulate budget figures for personal or political interests.
“I don’t pad budgets, I am not a thief,” he said.
He alleged that some items in Lagos State budgets had been assigned costs far higher than their actual value.
“Look at all the budgets that you see, a generator that cost 16 million they are putting it as 160 million in the budget,” he said.
He also referred to a reported budget controversy involving the cost of an air freshener, saying the explanation that the figure was a typographical error raised further questions about accountability in public spending.
Rhodes-Vivour said his administration, if elected, would instead focus public resources on addressing the challenges facing Lagos residents.
He also criticised what he described as attempts to shift political discussions away from substantive issues by focusing on his language and family background.
According to him, while language and culture remain important, the campaign should focus on issues such as traffic and other problems affecting residents.
“I have always said language, culture are extremely important and we will campaign when we need to campaign. But we need to address these issues that are affecting many Lagosians,” he said.
He accused the APC of deliberately shifting attention from major issues to what he described as minor matters.
“And what I find with the APC is they strategically consistently make us major on the minors and we don’t deal with the real issues affecting Lagosians,” he said.
Rhodes-Vivour said his campaign would therefore remain focused on issues affecting residents, regardless of attacks over his background.
He also expressed confidence that Lagosians would support his political platform, saying he had remained consistent in his views on how the state should be governed.
On his choice of Babatunde Gbadamosi as his running mate, Rhodes-Vivour described him as an experienced and capable politician who could contribute to his plans for Lagos.
“He is a fantastic gentleman, brilliant, he is somebody that I really admire, he has been consistent and I think that he will be able to bring the impact that you need to change Lagos,” he said.
Rhodes-Vivour contested the 2023 Lagos governorship election on the Labour Party platform and came second behind incumbent Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
