Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Labour Party’s candidate for governor of Lagos State, has announced that the party has filed a petition with the International Criminal Court regarding the March 18 governorship election in Lagos.
Friday, Rhodes-Vivour told ARISE News anchors that while the Labour Party had filed and submitted a petition to the electoral tribunal challenging the process and credibility of the elections in Lagos, they also filed a petition with the International Criminal Court, reporting specific individuals for the violence that occurred during the elections. “We have received allegations of violence against specific individuals at nearly 700 to 800 polling places,” he said. The candidate for the LP then stated that he was committed to assisting the victims of this violence.
When queried about those he named in his petition to the International Criminal Court, he stated, “Those on the list included MC Oluomo, Mr. Onanuga, and everyone who incited hatred and ethnic profiling, as well as everyone who participated in violence that day.” He added that he believed some traditional rulers, whose identities he would have to corroborate, were on the list for inciting fights and announcing an Oro festival on election day. “You are aware that Oro is not supposed to be performed during the day, which is a violation of an ancient Yoruba ritual… it also demonstrates how seriously you take the rite that you are supposed to be a guardian of.”
Rhodes-Vivour emphasised that the elections for governor in Lagos were not free and fair. “The elections were a total farce. I believe that the governing party in Lagos proclaimed war on Lagosians….It was marred by a great deal of violence, and there is speculation that this had an ethnic tint. However, upon closer inspection, that was not the case; rather, it was a bogeyman used to conceal the fact that they were attempting to construct a one-party state.
When asked what he would say to those attempting to promote peace after the elections, he responded, “There can be no healing without justice; you cannot claim you want peace, but want the peace of a graveyard.” Then, he asserted that the ruling party was attempting to gaslight the public into forgetting about the issue so they could sweep it under the rug. “I believe it will be a disaster that so many people voted for you, that so many people chose optimism over fear, and you just vanish and remain silent… I want to know that we have done everything possible to ensure peaceful elections in Lagos state in 2027.” Then, he emphasised that it was not just about him, but also about the future of democracy in Lagos, stating that the struggle against wrongdoings was for the sake of democracy.
