- Safiu Kehinde
The 2023 Labour Party’s Lagos governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has accused the state Police Command of accompanying suspected political thugs allegedly mobilised by an All Progressives Congress (APC) Council chairman to disrupt the free medical checkup and other activities organised by the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
NPO Reported that the venue of the ADC rally in Alimosho Local Government Area of the state was yesterday sealed by operatives attached to the Lagos Police Command.
The opposition party’s alternative venues were also destroyed by the suspected hoodlums with some members of the party attacked and injured.
Addressing newsmen after the fiasco, Rhodes-Viour disclosed that the party’s plan, as against claims of holding a rally, was to give free healthcare checks to over 4,000 indigenes and residents of Alimosho with another team on ground to provide jobs for unemployed youths within the council.
The ex-governorship alleged that the plans were destroyed by the thugs mobilised by the Chairman of Agbado Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) and accompanied by the police.
“They are protecting an APC rally that is going on currently. No problem. We got to another venue. In the church premises, our people were there peaceful. No activities, just waiting for me to come.
“The Chairman of Agbado Oke-Odo, Ejibadero, went there with thugs, accompanied by policemen, and completely destroyed everything there.
“Today, our plan was to give free healthcare checks to almost 4,000 Alimosho indigenes and residents. That has completely been destroyed.
“We have a team that was there to help people get jobs, register them and pair them to profitable jobs. That has been destroyed by thugs.
“And you see these local government chairmen that should be making the inner roads of Alimosho motorable, they are not focused on that.
“They will go on those roads to be intimidating people that want to offer Nigerians a better hope and a better future.” He said.
Rhodes-Vivour, who officially joined the ADC amid the chaos condemned the disruption of the event.
He further alleged that the police sealing of the venue had on Friday destroyed the planned birthday of a retired woman.
“People will say this is politics. No, this is not politics. This is what we have helped politics become. And it is us that will suffer it.
“We cannot allow this to continue. We must stand against it. We are in a democracy for goodness’ sake. If a politician or political party cannot serve, they do not try to make people happy.
“Instead, you want to use violence and intimidation to keep hold of power, we will not benefit from it. They will rule over us. We need leaders not rulers.
“On Friday, a woman that was turning 70 was supposed to have her birthday at that venue of Lion field. Because of this, they completely destroyed her plans.
“This is a retiree that saved money for her birthday. They completely destroyed it. They hurt people, used cutlasses on people and at the same time, they are protecting the APC that are doing a rally.” Rhodes-Vivour said.
He charged Nigerians to stand against what he labelled Agberocracy, stressing that the citizens cannot continue to be governed by tyrants.
“We cannot continue like this in Nigeria. We must elevate the interest of the collective over the selfish interest of the political elites and political few.
“They are few, we are many. We cannot continue to bow down to their tyranny.
“Because the more they do this and get away with it, the more the governance of this country will get worse.
“Nigerians, it’s time to stand up against this Agberocracy. This cannot be our story. This cannot be normal. We need a Nigeria that can work for all of us.” He added.