Lagos governorship aspirant Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour is learning to speak Yoruba ahead of 2027 election

• Rhodes-Vivour says he got a Yoruba teacher and learnt the language.

• He plans to campaign in Yoruba ahead of the 2027 Lagos election.

• His Yoruba fluency became a debate during the 2023 governorship race.

• He said issues like flooding, housing and traffic affect all Lagos residents.

Former Lagos governorship candidate Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour has said he has learnt Yoruba and will campaign in the language ahead of the 2027 Lagos governorship election, years after his inability to speak the language became a major talking point during the 2023 election. 

Rhodes-Vivour, who contested the 2023 Lagos governorship election under the platform of the Labour Party (LP) and is now the Lagos State governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the disclosure during an interview on Arise TV. 

Speaking about questions around culture, identity and language, he said he had taken steps to learn Yoruba by getting a teacher and would use the language during his campaign.

“This tribal thing, speaking your language situation and all of that. Culture and language are important, and I have gotten a Yoruba teacher, and I have learnt Yoruba. I will also campaign in the Yoruba language in this election,” Rhodes-Vivour said.

The issue of his Yoruba fluency became prominent during the 2023 Lagos governorship election after an interview in which Rhodes-Vivour said he did not “think in Yoruba”. The comment sparked discussions about language, culture and identity during the campaign.

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In the latest interview, Rhodes-Vivour said language and culture were important but argued that the major issues affecting Lagos residents cut across ethnic and linguistic differences.

He highlighted challenges including flooding, housing and traffic as issues he intends to address, saying they affect Lagos residents regardless of the language they speak. 

Rhodes-Vivour emerged as the Labour Party’s candidate in the 2023 Lagos governorship election, where he finished as the first runner-up behind incumbent Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. He later moved into the 2027 race under the ADC platform.

His decision to learn Yoruba ahead of the next election marks a shift from one of the major cultural debates that surrounded his previous campaign.