EXCLUSIVE: South East Groups Set To Storm Lagos For Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour
Baring any last minute change of plans, an umbrella association of South East groups has got all things set to storm Lagos State ahead of the rescheduled governorship and state legislative elections.
An insider source, who craved anonymity because he was not authorised to speak, told our correspondent on Thursday night that the postponement of the governorship and state Assembly polls has created a new window for more solidarity with the Labour Party governorship candidate, Gbadebo Chinedu Rhodes-Vivour.
According to the source, the move is being coordinated by some top members of the civil society and sociopolitical pressure organisations who are said to be unhappy with the level of alleged intimidation against non-Yoruba residents of Lagos State.
The insider, who turned down a request to reveal the names of some of the South East civil society leaders, told our correspondent that the groups are being coordinated by the pan-Igbo sociopolitical pressure organisation, the South East Revival Group (SERG).
He added that “the ongoing fire incidents in markets in Lagos have heightened the fear of post election safety of non-indigenes in the state, which made the move more imperative.”
A background check by The Street Reporters Newspaper revealed that the coordinating group has the current Secretary General of Conference Of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), Chief Willy Ezugwu, as its President and National Coordinator.
However, when contacted by our correspondent, Chief Ezugwu simply said, “well, I cannot confirm that at the moment. It’s probably still confidential.”
When pressed further, he urged our correspondent to call back as he was at a meeting but, at the time of filing this report, efforts to reconnect with Chief Ezugwu was unsuccessful.
The Labour Party governorship candidate in Lagos State has remained one of the top contenders for the number one office in the state and has continued to empathise with those at the receiving end of the alleged victimisation of the opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Rhodes-Vivour was said to have visited the victims of the recent market fire in the state, pledging to rebuild their shops if elected Governor of the state on Saturday, March 18, 2023.
