A former Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George has risen in defence of the governorship candidate of Labour Party (LP) in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.
He alleged that some people are planning to assassinate the Lagos Labour Party governorship candidate before the upcoming March 11 governorship elections.
Speaking on Monday, Chief George alleged that there were concerns about the security and safety of the LP guber candidate and called on security agents to rise up to the occasion.
He added that their position is not about his political affiliation but about protecting a bonafide Lagosian.
The PDP chieftain spoke at a press conference on behalf of Omo Eko Pataki, an umbrella body of prominent Lagos indigenes which took place at his Ikoyi office.
According to him, Rhodes-Vivour is a bonafide Lagosian and should anything happen to him, members of the public should know who to hold responsible.
“We wish to inform Nigerians about the heinous plan, to secretly eliminate the Labour Party Governorship Candidate, Mr Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour, the latest move by the take Lagos occupiers, to take him out of circulation before the election on Saturday.
We, hereby, warn that, should anything happen to this vibrant bonafide Lagosian, who fate has thrown up to free our dear state from the stranglehold of marauders, Nigerians should know who to hold,” George said.
While urging Lagosians to come out and vote massively on Saturday without any fear of intimidation, the elder statesman urged the people of the state to reject the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“We cannot continue with the old ways. The system is now devoid of stabilizing balance. We must rework it. We must push towards a renewal and a rebirth. This is the time for us to have a change of vision through an electoral overhaul,” he said.
George also condemned a viral video on social media, which showed a man threatening to deal with anybody who would vote for any other candidate apart from Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the APC during Saturday’s election.
He said the threat is a sad development targeted at intimidating people against exercising their civic rights to effect change in Lagos through the ballot box on Saturday.
“As we speak, there are grand designs, to provoke the peace-loving Nigerians, whose resolve is to effect change through the ballot box on Saturday, as threats are being issued against voters suspected to be willing to vote against incumbency.
For the avoidance of doubt, a particular video has gone virile, on social media, which showed a weird character, suspected to be one of the agents of the state, threatening ‘brimstone and fire’ against anybody, particularly of South East extraction (Igbo), to dare come out on election day to vote for the Labour Party.
To this disposition, we, the Omo Eko Pataki, say it is the most heinous crime against humanity in this 21st century, and condemn such in all its entirety. We ask who gave these characters the institutional authority and powers, to query the right of Nigerians to exercise their civic responsibility?” he queried.
“We reject this divisive politics of annihilation of innocent Nigerians, which seek to create anarchy and provoke anger of the citizenry.
This is the time for us to have a change of vision through an electoral overhaul. We equally urge the electorate in Lagos to go out in their numbers on Saturday, to vote against the plundering that has bedevilled our prosperous state for over two decades as adequate security is assured to everyone out to exercise their civic responsibility,” he said.
The PDP chieftain, however, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure the transparency of Saturday’s election by deploying BVAS noting that the step would mean “a departure from the February 25 archaic system, where result sheets were moved manually from polling units.”
Some other prominent persons present at the press conference were a former deputy governor of Lagos, Sen. Kofoworola Buknor- Akerele; Chief (Mrs). Onikepo Oshodi, Dr Lai Ogunbambi, among others.
