Embattled politician, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has said he remains the authentic governorship candidate for the Labour Party in Lagos.
He, therefore, dismissed the viral report by the factional candidate Ifagbemi Awamaridi that “some members of the Lagos illegal, backdated caretaker committee” were directed by the national leadership of the party to align with him (Awamaridi).
In a viral WhatsApp broadcast seen by our reporter, Awamaridi was quoted to have said the Labour Party national chairman Julius Abure identified him as the authentic gubernatorial candidate in the State.
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But, in an exclusive chat with Quest Times on Monday, Gbadebo questioned Awamaridi who also doubles as the Lagos Labour Party Chairman over his purported claims.
“(Laughs)… he (Awamaridi) should mention the names of the people and their positions.
“I am presently at the retreat of the party (Labour Party) as the party candidate for Lagos,” he told our reporter via a telephone conversation with a proof of a governorship tag as seen in the photo below;
Quest Times understands that there have been crisis in the Lagos chapter of the Labour Party in recent times, following the substitution primary election conducted by some members of the party, where Gbadebo emerged as the gubernatorial candidate of the party.
However, Awamaridi insisted that he remains the party’s flag-bearer in the 2023 race since he “came in through the Congress” and is the authentic State Chairman of the party as recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Efforts by our reporter to reach the Lagos Labour Party Chairman to comment on the matter proved abortive at the time of filing this report.