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The Lagos State Deputy Governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Babatunde Gbadamosi, has explained why he accepted to serve as the running mate to the party’s governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, in the 2027 governorship election.
Gbadamosi said he decided to address the issue following questions from some Lagos residents who wondered why a politician they considered more experienced would opt for the deputy governorship position instead of seeking the governorship ticket.
He said his decision was driven by his conviction that younger Nigerians should be given opportunities to lead rather than being repeatedly told that they were “leaders of tomorrow.”
According to him, Nigeria’s political history has shown that young people are capable of providing effective leadership when given the opportunity.
Gbadamosi cited the Action Group administration in the Western Region in the 1950s, led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who was in his early 40s at the time, while several of his colleagues were in their 20s and 30s.
Naija News reports that he also recalled that Anthony Enahoro was only 23 when he demanded Nigeria’s independence on the floor of Parliament.
The ADC chieftain also referred to the military officers who emerged as leaders following the coups of the 1960s and 1970s, noting that many of them were in their 20s, 30s and 40s.
Speaking specifically about Lagos, Gbadamosi recalled that Mobolaji Johnson became the state’s first military governor at the age of 31.
He said Johnson surrounded himself with older and more experienced men, including Adeniran Ogunsanya, S.L. Edu and Ganiyu Olawale Dawodu, who served in his cabinet.
According to Gbadamosi, the combination of youthful leadership and experienced advisers helped produce one of the most impactful administrations in Lagos’ history.
He said he was also proud to have played a role in helping Rhodes-Vivour secure the Labour Party governorship ticket in 2022, pointing to the younger politician’s age and what he described as his unique skill set.
Gbadamosi maintained that he still considers Rhodes-Vivour’s abilities the best fit for Lagos at this time.
“Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour is in his early forties- a perfect time when the energy of youth meets the wisdom of experience,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
He criticised the older generation of politicians for repeatedly telling young Nigerians that they would become leaders in the future, arguing that some of those who promoted the slogan had assumed leadership positions themselves at relatively young ages.
Gbadamosi said the time had come for younger Nigerians to take up leadership positions while working with experienced people to deliver better governance.
“The time for the youths to lead is NOW, not tomorrow,” he declared.
The ADC deputy governorship candidate urged Lagos residents seeking what he described as a better state to support the Rhodes-Vivour-Gbadamosi ticket in the 2027 election.
He also accused the political establishment in Lagos of decades of poor governance and called on residents to reject what he described as a system that had failed to adequately protect the future of younger generations.
“If you want to Make Èkó Great Again, and build a better Lagos than the one we have all endured for the last 27 years, please join Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and I, and help us to chase away the locusts that want to feed on your children’s future, while telling you to your face that their youths will be your leaders tomorrow,” he said.
Thank god
Let us give them chance,we have been under one se of people for the past twenty seven years, we may have Lagos free of oppression like the time of Jakande.