Guber elections: Reno Omokri defends Rhodes-Vivour, educate Nigerians on origin of the name 'Vivour'

Reno Omokri, a leading member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has come to the defense of Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Labour Party candidate in the Lagos State governorship election after he was accused by a section of Lagosians and party rivals that is not a true Lagosian.

Rhodes-Vivour will hope to benefit from the goodwill voters in Lagos showered on Peter Obi as he goes into Saturday's contest as the least experienced. He will contest the position against the incumbent governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran popularly known as Jandor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Accusations have been thrown against him as the elections approach. Apart from the question marks raised about whether or not he is a true Lagosion, old tweets of him supporting the movement by the secessionist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra reemerged. This has led to the conversation that his victory in Lagos might be a plan in a grand scheme to capture Lagos from the Yoruba.

Speaking on his legibility as a Lagosian, Omokri said: "Anybody with the last name Vivor has a very strong Lagos pedigree. The name is short for Survivor. The Vivors or Vivours are people who endured slavery and made it back to Lagos more than a century ago as survivors."

"Rhodes-Vivor could mean they survived Rhodes (possibly a former slave owner, or a name they were given or took) and lived to tell."

"I don't support Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour. I am very much loyal to the Peoples Democratic Party and I urge all my followers in Lagos to vote PDP from top to bottom."

"However, I have been a victim of identity politics and nobody should have to go through that. But even if he was Igbo (he is not) and so what? We must make an effort to build a united country, and it takes some give and take."

Meanwhile, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (GRV) has said that if elected the governor of Lagos on March 11, 2023, one of his most pressing concerns is replacing the danfo buses plying the roads of the state.

While discussing one of the qualities that sets him apart from other candidates, GRV said in a recent interview he plans to run a government that minimizes the inconvenience of Lagosians.

One of the problems he's set his eyes on is the danfo buses many of which have become eyesores on Lagos roads.

"We need to change all the danfos in Lagos State. We need about 70,000 danfos to replace them and the government doesn't need to buy all of them.

"We can create a platform that's selling seats on each of these buses and you can have ₦50k and you're investing that, and every month the state pays you.