Rhodes-Vivour Says He Has Learnt Yoruba, Plans to Campaign in the Language

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the African Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Lagos State, has said he has learnt Yoruba and will campaign in the language ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

Rhodes-Vivour disclosed this during an interview on Arise TV on Thursday, explaining that he had engaged a Yoruba teacher and had worked on improving his ability to speak the language.

The development comes after language became a subject of public discussion during the 2023 Lagos governorship campaign. Rhodes-Vivour, who contested the election on the platform of the Labour Party, had acknowledged at the time that although he understood and could speak Yoruba, he was not fluent.

Speaking about the issue during the latest interview, the ADC candidate said language and culture were important to his engagement with Lagos residents. He also demonstrated some of his Yoruba during the interview after a presenter greeted him in the language, responding, “Mo ki gbogbo yin,” meaning “I greet all of you.”

Rhodes-Vivour said his decision to learn Yoruba was not intended to make language or ethnicity the central issue of his political campaign. Instead, he said his focus remained on challenges affecting residents across Lagos State.

He identified flooding, housing and traffic congestion among the issues he said were affecting residents regardless of their ethnic or linguistic backgrounds. According to him, these challenges have consequences for Lagos residents across different communities.

The latest comments revive an issue that featured prominently around Rhodes-Vivour’s 2023 campaign. His Yoruba and Igbo heritage and his ability to speak Yoruba became subjects of political debate during that election period.

Rhodes-Vivour has previously explained that his upbringing and periods spent outside Nigeria contributed to his limited fluency in Yoruba. In 2023, he said he had hired a Yoruba teacher because he wanted to improve his knowledge of the language and connect more effectively with people.

He is now seeking to govern Lagos under the platform of the ADC ahead of the 2027 election. His latest comments indicate that language and cultural engagement will form part of his interaction with voters during the campaign.

The 2027 Lagos governorship contest is expected to feature several political parties and candidates, with issues including governance, infrastructure, housing, transportation and other concerns likely to feature in the campaigns.