Rhodes-Vivour to challenge victory of APC, Sanwo-Olu in Lagos

The Labour Party is set to challenge the victory of Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the just-ended gubernatorial election.

Recall that Sanwo-Olu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on March 20 after polling 762,134 votes.

His closest competitor, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the LP scored 312,329 while Olajide Adediran of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP scored a distant third with 62,449 votes.

The announcement of the result by the Returning Officer, Prof Adenike Temifayo-Oladiji, VC, Federal University of Technology Akure, show 1,182,620 accredited voters, 1,173,631 votes cast, and 17,953 rejected.

The declared results, however, are being contested after social media videos of harassment, intimidation, and violent acts that involved the use of dangerous weapons by supporters of the ruling APC on supporters of the Labour Party.

Reacting, Rhodes-Gbadebo said: “There are no results from over 1,000 units. People died…people were disenfranchised. This election is a sham…an election marred by violence!

“I want to tell you, Mr. Gbaje, the REC, that you have failed the youths. You have failed the masses, and you have not done the right thing,” she stressed.

In his remarks, Rhodes-Vivour, alias GRV alleged “collusion” between the APC and electoral officials in efforts to return Governor Sanwo-Olu.

“The results being released by INEC do not represent the wishes of the majority of peaceful Lagosians…results from our agents and situation room indicated that we won,” he said.

The candidate and his party are now proceeding to the court, seeking to upturn INEC’s pronouncement.

One of Rhodes-Vivour’s close aides confirmed that plans are being finalised to file a petition at the Governorship Election Tribunal.

“We are heading to the tribunal, we are currently filing the brief,” the source told DAILY POST Sunday night.

The LP and GRV are expected to prove how supporters were stopped from voting for GRV and whether the loss of those votes caused their defeat.

However, after polling less than 10 percent of Sanwo-Olu’s tally, neither the PDP nor its candidate a.k.a. Jandor has said much on the next move.