2023: ‘Don’t spoil Obi’s work’ – Salvador, rejects Rhodes-Vivour as LP governorship candidate in Lagos

Labour Party (LP) has declared Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour as winner of its substitution primary election for the 2023 Governorship Election in Lagos State.

The primary for the replacement of candidate was witnessed by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Rhodes-Vivour, a former chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 111 votes to defeat his closest contender, Moshood Salvador, who won only two votes.

Salvador who was earlier last month the presumed winner of the LP ticket to contest the governorship election in Lagos State, however, rejected the result of the primary poll, as he warned party leaders not to ruin the efforts of the Presidential candidate, Dr Peter Obi , with their unwholesome practices.

Declaring Rhodes-Vivour as winner, the Deputy National Chairman of Labour Party, and Chairman of the Electoral Committee/Returning Officer, Alhaji Lamidi Apanpa, said there were 116 ad hoc delegates for the primaries, adding further that 115 were accredited for the election, while one was absent.

According to him, two votes were voided in the substitution election.

“The total number of accredited voters is 115, and Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour got 111 votes, Mr. Moshood Salvador had 102 and we had two voided votes.

“Haven satisfied all the requirements in our guidelines. I want to announce Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour as our candidate, after scoring the highest votes of 111.

“He is hereby declared the winner and returned elected,” Apanpan said.

He commended the two aspirants and delegates for their peaceful conduct and sportsmanship throughout the process.

“I want to thank all of you for your patience and I want to congratulate the two contestants for your spirit of sportsmanship,” he said.

In his acceptance speech, Rhodes-Vivour, who acknowledged his contender, said he was ready to face the All Progressives Congress and the PDP in the general elections, as he pledged to sit with all aspirants and leaders of the party to tap from their wealth of knowledge and experience in a bid to win Lagos State for the LP.

Rhodes-Vivour applauded all the delegates for their trust in giving him the party’s ticket, and promised to bring governance to the grassroots.

The primary election earlier fixed for Monday to pick a substitution for its candidate was moved to Thursday as one of the aspirants, Salvador, had complained of irregularity in the delegates list.

Also, the primary was moved from the previous venue along the International Airport Road to another venue in Ikeja GRA.

However, reacting to the outcome of the primary poll, Salvador, also a former chieftain of the PDP,

rejected the result, alleging over-voting by members of the state executive, as he further warned the electoral committee not to spoil the name of the party’s presidential candidate, Dr. Peter Obi.

Salvador also pointed out that the problem was left for the party to address ‘if the party wants to win Lagos State in the 2023 elections.’

“You can remember that I paid for the form on the 5th of July, 2022 and I was given the INEC nomination form as a candidate.

“They came, raised my hand and declared me candidate and all of you were there. Now we planned affirmation for Monday and they said somebody paid on Friday and asked us to bring 100 delegates each, not even going through the constitutional process of delegates’ formation.

“A day before, we had a lot of rumour and it showed on Monday when they doctored the list and increased his own number of delegates by 26 and removed 26 from my own to have 74. They now perfected it today, used only the state executive.

“Those that were not even here, somebody represented him to vote. Is that democratic? Therefore, I reject it in totality. Somebody that came 72 hours ago as against the person that has been prepared before for affirmation, we have done everything. We went to INEC. Is this the way we want to change Nigeria? I just appeal to these people not to spoil Obi’s work.”