The All Progressives Congress accused Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, Labour Party governorship candidate over his statement of preparing the ground for violence in Lagos State. The ruling party has asked security agencies to hold him responsible in case of any incident in the state.
GRV in a video on Saturday, March 18, 2023, had firstly accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security operatives of playing dirty while political thugs unleashed violent attacks on Labour Party voters in different parts of Lagos. His comments came after attack incidents happened during voting hours.
“INEC and the police [should] realize that they are provoking Lagosians right now. If tonight Lagos catches fire, it is not our fault. It is because they did not do the right thing. A lot of areas are still under intense attacks by thugs and hooligans of the APC. I call on INEC and the police not to set Lagos on fire. This is a state that houses 22 million people. Having that many people angry because of their disenfranchise is not something Nigeria needs right now,” he said.
Reacting to this APC Lagos issued a statement to Gbadebo video, the statement read: “The attention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been drawn to a statement made by Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate Gbadebo Chinedu Rhodes-Vivour on today’s elections. He accuses the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the police of “provoking Lagosians” and warning that “if tonight Lagos catches fire, it is not our fault”. He says “a lot of places are still under attack by thugs and hooligans of the APC. This scaremongering is typical of bad losers who lack the spirit of sportsmanship. The security agencies should note Mr Rhodes-Vivour’s threat to set Lagos on fire as his predilection for violence and warmongering is well known to Nigerians. Should there be any breakdown of law and order in any part of our state, law enforcement agencies should know who to grab – Mr Rhodes-Vivour. We are compiling reports of how APC supporters were harassed and attacked today. Some of the reports are really scary. Now the LP candidate is playing the victim. This old trick won’t work; discerning Lagosians know they are all lies deployed to attract sympathy. Our party has no need to be violent because we are sure of the glittering credentials of our candidate Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu who will never be associated with violence. We advise LP and its candidate to embrace peace instead of threatening to bring down the roof on everybody.”
