Atiku is my presidential candidate – Rhodes-Vivour
The African Democratic Congress Lagos State governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has said he has no issue with former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, despite the political differences between Obi and his presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Rhodes-Vivour stated this in an interview with BBC Igbo uploaded on Monday, where he explained that his priority remained Lagos State while reaffirming his support for the ADC and its presidential candidate.
“I have no issues whatsoever with His Excellency Peter Obi, regardless of what happens at the top level. My first priority and my first love is Lagos State, and I must always make decisions based on Lagos first,” he said.
The ADC candidate recalled that his previous political outings had involved both Atiku and Obi, noting that their political positions had changed over successive elections.
“The first time I ran for Senate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was a presidential candidate; His Excellency Peter Obi was his vice president,” Rhodes-Vivour said.
He added, “The next election His Excellency Peter Obi was running for president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was running for president, and His Excellency Peter Obi was a presidential candidate.”
Rhodes-Vivour said his current political affiliation had made Atiku his presidential candidate, adding that he would work for the success of the ADC.
“I’m in the ADC, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is my presidential candidate, that’s where I am, so we are going to do everything we can for our party as the ADC,” he said.
He, however, urged Nigerians to make their own choices at the polls, stressing the importance of ensuring that votes count.
“Nigerians should vote for who they believe is going to take them forward, and let’s ensure as a people that our voices are heard, and our votes count,” he said.
On whether he believed Lagos was a no-man’s land, Rhodes-Vivour rejected the description, saying the state had never been one.
“Lagos has never been a no-man’s land,” he said.
The governorship candidate questioned the basis for describing Lagos as a no-man’s land, particularly given the ownership and sale of land in the state.
“You know, every four years you hear these things, you don’t come and hear that one Igbo man called Chukwu said that Lagos is a no-man’s land. These things are not true, because these people that you are talking about, should be there on money that they pay money to,” he said.
He added, “If it’s no-man’s land, who are they buying the land from?”
Rhodes-Vivour said describing Lagos as a no-man’s land was offensive to him and his ancestry.
“But for anybody to say Lagos is a no-man’s land, that’s a very big insult. It’s an insult not just to me, it’s an insult to my ancestors,” he said.
