TheCable

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP), in Lagos, says he does not have a godfather.

Speaking in a chat with Arise TV on Thursday, Rhodes-Vivour said he has leaders and mentors but has no godfather.

This comes days after Olajide Adediran, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said Lagos needs a governor that is independent and can think for himself.

Adediran, better known as Jandor, had in an interview with Chude Jideonwo, a TV host, said for Lagos to attain its full potential, a governor that doesn’t “require second-level approval to get things done” must be elected.

Reacting to Jandor’s comment, Rhodes-Vivour said it was a strategy by the PDP candidate to weaken and create a perception about his candidacy.

“In Labour Party, there is no godfather. I have no godfather. I even had no godfather in PDP, I had mentors, I had leaders,” the LP candidate said.

Rhodes-Vivour, a former member of the PDP before he left to join the LP, spoke about what transpired in the party in his response to the comments by Jandor.

“It’s very ironic because most of the leaders in the party and I know that Dr. Abati is most familiar with these people, you can call and find out,” he said.

“There are rumours of money being embezzled, monies that were sent for rallies that were embezzled, money that was sent for elections that were embezzled are just thieves that have happened with the entire structure of the party.

“The narrative that he brought to get the ticket was that he was bringing half of APC to add to the PDP for us to win. That was the story. All of them have gone back to the APC. So, where is the value now?

“We are back to the original PDP and it’s ironic because he got the ticket because all the leadership from the national chairman Ayu, to the governors, to leaders in the party, to Obasanjo even, all insisted that this was the person they wanted.

“So, it’s very rich that when tables have turned, he is talking about godfatherism. So, for me, he is just pulling straws.

“If you’ve noticed, I don’t give this any attention really. I’ve not mentioned his name in interviews in the past two, or three months. It’s just unfortunate that there are so much lies going on that are intentional because his strategy is to weaken or to create a perception of a candidacy that is onshore, even though he knows for a fact that this case is dead but he is bringing it up.

“So, I have to come on air to actually say there is no such thing. My party has announced this, my legal team has announced this, the legal section of the party has announced this, and there is no such thing. That case is done. I won at the high court, appeal court and there is no case at the supreme court.”

Rhodes-Vivour and Jandor are the major contenders against Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos in the gubernatorial election.