The 2023 Lagos State gubernatorial election held on March 27 has been described by the Labour Party candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, as a war and not a poll.
Rhodes-Vivour made this assertion while speaking on Arise Television’s morning show on Friday.
He accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of being complicit in the election process, and called for improved responsibility on their part in future elections.
Rhodes-Vivour pointed out incidents of violence in Ikoyi and Victoria Garden City (VGC), where Yoruba people were allegedly beaten and attacked by thugs and hooligans.
He called for a perception of equity, fairness, and justice in future elections, rather than brazen disregard for democracy.
The INEC had declared the incumbent Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the election, having polled a total of 762,134 votes. Rhodes-Vivour, who came second, got 312,329 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Abdulazeez Adeniran, got 62,449 votes.
The election had been keenly contested by the three major political parties in the state, with allegations of vote-buying, violence, and intimidation from different quarters.
The Lagos State Police Command had deployed over 30,000 personnel to maintain law and order during the election.
However, despite the deployment of security personnel, there were pockets of violence recorded in some parts of the state.
A few polling units were also reported to have opened late due to logistics issues.
