Fresh Trouble For Rhodes-Vivour As Awamaridi Says He Is The Authentic Labour Party Candidate In Lagos

Contemporary hassle seems to be brewing inside the Labour Social gathering (LP) forward of Saturday’s governorship election over who’s the genuine governorship candidate of the celebration.

That is as a chieftain of the celebration, Ifagbemi Awamaridi, on Thursday insisted that he stays the celebration’s governorship candidate in Lagos state.

Addressing a press briefing in Lagos on Thursday, Awamaridi denied withdrawing from the race, indicating that the matter remains to be earlier than the Supreme Courtroom.

The event would trigger recent worries for Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour who has been campaigning and gained publicity because the Lagos LP governorship candidate for Saturday’s election.

Talking on the press convention, Arabambi insisted that he didn’t withdraw from the governorship race opposite to claims by some leaders of the celebration.

He claimed that he received the celebration’s governorship major in July 2022.

“In July 2022, INEC printed the identify of the Labour celebration candidate and the identify is Prof. Ifagbemi Awamaridi based mostly on the truth that I received the first,” he stated.

“The celebration forwarded the identify to INEC round July 5 and INEC printed the identify round July 25 and that identify subsists.

“Afterward, I found that the identify has modified and a few celebration leaders determined to organise a substitution major and claimed that I’ve withdrawn.”

Awamaridi added that he had written to the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC) that he had not withdrawn from the race, and is ready for the decision of the Supreme Courtroom within the matter.

Nonetheless, the chairman of the Lagos LP, Dayo Ekong instructed members of the general public to disregard Awamaridi as he’s being utilized by the opposition to disrupt the celebration, insisting he isn’t the genuine candidate of the Labour Social gathering.

The Saga

In July 2022, INEC printed the identify of Ifagbemi Awamaridi because the LP governorship candidate for Lagos within the 2023 elections.

Nonetheless, in August 2022, Bashiru Apapa, the LP deputy nationwide chairman, instructed journalists that Awamaridi had written formally to withdraw from the race as he was only a “placeholder” for the celebration’s governorship candidate slot.

Apapa added that the celebration would organise a substitution major.

However Awamaridi insisted that he had not withdrawn from the race and that he had sworn an affidavit of non-withdrawal earlier than the federal excessive courtroom in Abuja.

However, on August 10, 2022, the LP organised a substitution major election in Ikeja, Lagos which produced Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour who polled 111 votes.

A former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Moshood Salvador got here second with 102 votes.