Lagos: Afenifere Drums Support For LP Governorship Candidate, Rhodes-Vivour, Warns Royal Fathers

By Akinwale Kasali

Afenifere, the Pan-Yoruba Socio-Cultural Organization has urged Lagos electorate to vote enmasse for the Labour Party, LP, Governorship Candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, in the March 11 governorship Election.

It said that the electorate should ignore the threats coming from the All Progressives Congress, APC, and replicate the zeal, determination and doggedness of February 25th Presidential Election that saw the Labour Win Lagos State.

Afenifere Leader in Lagos State, Supo Shonibare, said this at a Press Conference Wednesday, and warned  that there will be consequences for Royal Fathers who choose to be partisan rather than being fathers to all parties.

In his words, “We have been inundated by various posts and some Royal Fathers are complicit in engaging in partisan politics. We must advise our Royal Fathers that the function of Royal Fathers is that they are Fathers to both the Government in power and the Opposition. They are not expected to be partisan.

“There are some posts last week of some Royal Fathers intimidating those who want to vote and compelling them not to vote for Labour Party, I will advise them to retract from taking such an attitude because there will be consequences for Royal Fathers who show partisanship in engaging the polity,” Shonibare said.

He stressed that that Lagos residents should ignore provocative posts on social media, saying that the propagators of such posts want to pitch Yorubas against the Igbos, and cause tribal clash among the two ethnic Groups and its people.

Shonibare noted that some South-Easterners voted for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the APC just the same way some Yorubas opted to vote for Labour Party, LP, Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi in the February 25 presidential poll, stressing that the election is not supposed to be a tribal war but about ideas.

“We implore Lagos residents to ignore provocative posts on social media mainly enabled by agent provocateurs aimed at fanning the embers of disunity among the peace-loving residents and intended to pitch Yorubas against Igbos.

“Igbos voted for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the South-East the same way many Yorubas decided to vote for Mr Peter Obi in Lagos and other states in the South-West. The issue that we are confronting is not a contest between Igbos and Yourubas; it is the contest of ideas, it is a contest of those who think we are at a stage where we need a change in the polity,” he said.

He assured Lagosians that Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, if elected Governor of Lagos State, will form an all-inclusive government that will provide an enabling environment for all  ethnic nationalities.

“The false narrative of Lagos being taken over by Igbos is a false narrative. Mr Gbadebo is a Yoruba man. Lagos is not a no man’s land, it’s a Yoruba territory.

“We assure Lagosians that the government of Rhodes-Vivour will comprise indigenous Lagosians as well as providing and ensuring that all ethnic nationalities are afforded their basic rights to ensure that they contribute to the continued growth of the city of Lagos that is the 5th largest economy in Africa,” he  stated.