Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the endorsement of the State’s Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, by the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, as of no political value and dead on arrival.
The ruling party in the State, through a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Hon. Seye Oladejo, on Thursday, said: “Attention has been drawn to a laughable charade called the endorsement of the Labour Party’s Lagos State governorship candidate, Chinedu Rhodes-Vivour, by the factional leader of Afenifere, Supo Shonibare.
“We would ordinarily have ignored this non-event but it will be a disservice to the general public if the records are not set straight.
“The so-called endorsement by a group of attention seeking and politically irrelevant group of people is ominous, as they have consistently backed the wrong horse out of malice, envy, bitterness and political frustration.”
APC further said: “Our political history is replete with many victims, who lost elections as a result of the backing of these people, who lack electoral value. The most recent was the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who’s now facing the reality of their valueless support.”
APC added that the endorsement underscores the group as “an agent of confusion and retrogression.
“As elders and purported stakeholders in Lagos State, it was difficult for them to acknowledge the landmark achievements of the incumbent Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, across the famed THEMES agenda.
“They sacrificed on the altar of bitter politics, his pro-activeness during the scourge of COVID-19, the inauguration of the light blue rail and Imota Rice Mill; massive construction of roads across the state, great investments in education, healthcare, the environment, transportation, entertainment, youth and social development, women empowerment, sports, tourism, science and technology. Thankfully, Lagosians, who are the ultimate deciders, know better.
“Lagosians, will at the polls, massively reject a candidate, who has been known not to identify with his purported heritage and needed historians to weave together some tales by moonlight to sell him to a people he cannot even speak their language.
“It’s definitely not sufficient, at this time and age, to make the exploits of his progenitors his selling points to administer the fifth largest economy in Africa.
“Lagosians are begging for answers as regards his role during the destructive EndSARS protest and his relationship with IPOB,” the party claimed.