The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has challenged the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, to demonstrate a broader understanding of Lagos beyond his decision to learn Yoruba ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

The APC Publicity Secretary, Seye Oladejo, made the call on Tuesday in reaction to Rhodes-Vivour’s revelation that he had hired a Yoruba teacher and was now able to campaign in the indigenous language.

Rhodes-Vivour disclosed this during an interview on Arise TV, where he acknowledged the importance of language and culture but maintained that his priority was addressing the challenges confronting residents across the state.

Reacting, Oladejo welcomed the ADC candidate’s effort to learn Yoruba but questioned whether speaking the language alone was enough to demonstrate an understanding of Lagos and its people.

“Language is one of the gateways to understanding people. It carries history, humour, values, idioms, traditions and ways of seeing the world,” Oladejo said.

He urged Rhodes-Vivour to complement his language lessons with a deeper knowledge of Lagos’ history, culture, institutions and governance challenges.

The APC spokesman also faulted Rhodes-Vivour’s remarks about the party’s governorship candidate, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, arguing that criticism of Hamzat could not discount his years of experience in Lagos public service.

Oladejo noted that Hamzat had occupied several public-sector positions, including commissioner and deputy governor, in addition to his professional experience.

“Rhodes-Vivour may argue that the administration has not done enough. He may identify areas where he believes Hamzat’s record should have been better. That is politics. But to suggest that experience has no value simply because Lagos still has challenges is a rather curious argument,” he said.

Turning to Rhodes-Vivour’s criticism of traffic congestion in Lagos, Oladejo argued that the issue required more than political statements, challenging the ADC candidate to explain how he would address the problem.

He specifically asked Rhodes-Vivour to outline his proposed road infrastructure, funding arrangements, mass-transit strategy, implementation framework, 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,” Oladejo said.

During the Arise TV interview, Rhodes-Vivour had listed flooding, housing and traffic among the major challenges facing Lagos residents, while stressing that the problems affected people regardless of their ethnic or linguistic backgrounds.

The ADC candidate also displayed his growing proficiency in Yoruba during the interview, responding, “Mo ki gbogbo yin,” after a presenter greeted him in the language.

Oladejo said the 2027 election should instead centre on the candidates’ knowledge of Lagos and their ability to turn campaign promises into workable public policies.

“Lagos is not governed by Instagram posts, television appearances or campaign slogans,” he said, adding that effective governance involved institutions, budgets, planning, infrastructure, security coordination, transportation systems and day-to-day administrative decisions.

He further challenged Rhodes-Vivour to allow Lagos residents to assess his record, plans and capacity instead of focusing largely on Hamzat.

“2027 is not an audition for television. It is a conversation about the future of Lagos,” Oladejo said.