The Labour Party’s 2023 governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has shed light on the major reason behind his defeat in the election, pointing fingers at the pervasive culture of violence during the polls.
In a post shared via X on Monday, Rhodes-Vivour stated that violence played the most significant role in preventing his victory over the incumbent governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
“When you have normalized violence against a group of people, eventually that violence should meet you. You look at what happened in the State Assembly where a majority, more than 90% of them, decided that they wanted someone else to speak on their behalf, to represent them, and they went through the entire process.
“They voted, they stood their ground, despite intimidation, despite the force that was used against them. But you see how that same similar force was used to cut short the will of the people in the State Assembly.
“So it’s a culture of violence, and intimidation and voter suppression and I think that the main obstacle for me in 2023 elections,” he said.
Rhodes-Vivour’s remarks come amid ongoing conversations around electoral reforms, voter safety, and democratic transparency in Nigeria.
