The hope of the Labour Party (LP) to make an impact in the 2023 election in Lagos State may have been dashed should the leadership of the party fail to resolve the brewing crisis.
Two members are at the moment differing over the governorship ticket of the party in Lagos State. They are; Mr Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and Hon. Moshood Adegoke Salvador.
While Rhodes-Vivour was said to have won the party’s governorship primary election, Salvador expressed loss of confidence in the electoral and called for the cancellation of the primary.
Mr Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, was on Wednesday elected as the Labour Party’s governorship candidate in Lagos State for the 2023 election.
Rhodes-Vivour who was a former senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), polled 111 votes to defeat his only opponent, Hon. Moshood Adegoke Salvador, who scored 102 votes. 216 delegates participated in the primary election.
The primary for the replacement of candidates was said to have been witnessed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Deputy National Chairman of Labour Party, Alhaji Lamidi Apanpa who
declared the result, said that with the outcome, the winner, Rhodes- Vivour, would fly the flag of the party as its governorship candidate, come 2023 general elections.
Rhodes-Vivour described the primary process as the freest and fairest exercise, saying that LP was set to form the next government.
He said his opponent, Salvador, is like a father to him, adding, “I look out for him for advice, I would reach out to him for advice because he has a formidable structure.”
But Salvador rejected the result of the primary, alleging over voting by members of the state executive.
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He warned the electoral committee not to spoil the name of the party’s presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi.
He, however, noted that the problem was left for the party to address “if the party wants to win Lagos State in the 2023 elections.”
He said, “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 the candidate and all of you were there. Now we planned an 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, using 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.”
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