Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere in Lagos State has queued behind the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, in the March 11 governorship election in the state, while cautioning royal fathers against partisanship.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Afenifere leader in the state, Supo Shonibare, warned that there will be consequences for royal fathers who choose to be partisan rather than being fathers to all parties.
“We have been inundated by various post and some royal fathers complicit in engaging in partisan politics. We must advise our royal fathers that the function of royal fathers is that they are fathers to both the government in power and the opposition. They are not expected to be partisan.
“They are some post last week of some royal fathers intimidating those who want to vote and compelling them not to vote for Labour Party, I will advise them to retract from taking such an attitude because there will be consequences for royal fathers who show partisanship in engaging the polity,” Shonibare said.
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He enjoined Lagos residents to ignore provocative posts on social media, saying that the propagators of such posts want to pitch Yorubas against the Igbos.
He noted that some South-Easterners voted for Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) same way some Yorubas opted to vote for LP’s Peter Obi in the February 25 presidential poll, stressing that the election is not supposed to be a tribal war but about ideas.
“We implore Lagos residents to ignore provocative post on social media mainly enabled by agent provocateur aimed at fanning the embers of disunity among the peace-loving residents and intended to pitch Yorubas against Igbos.
“Igbos voted for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the South-East the same way many Yorubas decided to vote for Mr Peter Obi in Lagos and other states in the South-West. The issue that we are confronting is not a contest between Igbos and Yourubas; it is the contest of ideas, it is a contest of those who think we are at a stage where we need a change in the polity,” he said.
Shonibare also assured Lagosians that Rhodes-Vivour, if elected as governor of Lagos, will form an all-inclusive government that will provide enabling environment for all ethnic nationalities.
“The false narrative of Lagos being taken over by Igbos is a false narrative. Mr Gbadebo is a Yoruba man. Lagos is not a no man’s land, it’s a Yoruba territory.
“We assure Lagosians that the government of Rhodes-Vivour will comprise indigenous Lagosians as well as providing and ensuring that all ethnic nationalities are afforded their basic rights to ensure that they contribute to the continued growth of the city of Lagos that is the 5th largest economy in Africa,” he added.
