Rhodes-Vivour’s father tells Lagosians, it’s possible to prevail against evil
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Olawale Rhodes-Vivour, the father of Lagos Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Gbadebo, has urged Lagosians to vote en masse for him on March 18, saying “it’s possible to prevail against [the] evil” of the tentacles of corruption.
Olawale, a lawyer, made the point at a press conference on Wednesday in Ikeja, pitching Gbadebo as a man of character who is rugged to finish what he has started.
“If we can see the writing on the wall that it is possible to prevail against evil, then please come out on the [18th] of March and make it a resounding victory for all of us,” he said.
He spoke against the backdrop of injection of tribalism into the governorship race by members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who say Gbadebo is not a Lagos native, as his mother is Igbo, he is married to an Igbo, and therefore should not be elected.
The Rhodes-Vivour family has lived in Lagos for five generations, spanning 400 years.
However, ethnicity hardly plays a role in recent Lagos politics.
Former Lagos Governor Bola Tinubu, a member of the APC now President-elect, is from Osun, and the father of Remi his wife is from Ogun and the mother from Delta.
Former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode is from Ondo. Both incumbent Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu and Obafemi Hamzat his Deputy are from Ogun.
The current ethnic propaganda arose because EndSars activists and Obidients powered Peter Obi to victory in Lagos in the presidential vote on February 25.
Obi got 582,454 votes in Lagos to trounce Tinubu who scored 572,606 votes.
The media event in Ikeja was attended by Rhodes-Vivour family members, chieftains of the pan Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, and former Lagos Deputy Governor Kofo Bucknor-Akerele.
“Don’t be afraid, don’t be scared, come out on the [18th]. We have put in place strategies,” Olawale said.
“We are going to be proactive and not reactive on the [18th] because if we got 900,000 votes and you gave us 500,000 votes, even though we beat you, still affect the overall turnout of the situation.”
________________________________________________________________
Related articles:
Obi and seven other biggest shocks in the presidential vote
LP won Lagos fairly, not based on tribalism, Rhodes-Vivour explains
Rhodes-Vivour in Lagos gets backing from George, Akerele-Bucknor, others
__________________________________________________________________
Enough of bad governance
Olawale stressed Nigerians have had enough and they just want normal, decent people in positions of power, per reporting by Channels Television.
“Gbadebo is my son. Gbadebo is not a politician; he is an activist. That is the core character of Gbadebo. When he came out of school, he was busy leading marches to the legislature, he was debating with the minister of agriculture.
“My son is rugged enough to finish what he started. Gbadebo, at heart, is just a good man because he reacts violently to anything negative.
“During his activism, he realised that it is difficult to change things as an activist and he decided to go back to school to have a Master’s in political science.”
Olawale also distanced Gbadebo from the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
“Gbadebo has no time for IPOB. This boy is highly educated, highly driven. We can track is record everyday in Lagos. He has no time for IPOB. Even [Peter] Obi himself has come out to say he doesn’t support IPOB.”
Olajide Adediran aka Jandor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is also in the contest against Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the APC, who is seeking a second term.
