Politics
“An Igbo Has The Right To Contest In Lagos” – Reno Omokri defends Labour Party’s Lagos Governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour
Reno Omokri, a former presidential assistant, has argued in favor of Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, a candidate for governor of Lagos from the Labour Party.
As you may remember, Gbadebo has become involved in a number of issues ever since he announced his ambition to run for governor.
His wife was also hauled for advocating against anti-gay legislation in Nigeria back in 2011; he was also criticized for having an Igbo name given to him by his Igbo mother. He was recently called out when old tweets of him purportedly supporting Biafra surfaced online.
Reacting to the drama, Reno, a spokesperson under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has taken to social media to rubbish the reports making rounds that Gbadebo is not a true son of the soil.
He explained that the politician’s name shows that he is a descendant of one of the original Lagosians who were sold out in slavery. He also berated those arguing that Gbadebo can’t be their governor because he is partly Igbo.
He wrote;
“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.”
See his post below,
