Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, GRV, who is the gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party in Lagos State, has accused Yoruba leaders of playing politics while referencing the herdsmen invasion. During an interview on Channels Television on Thursday, March 9, 2023, GRV criticized politicians who seek to divide the inhabitants of Lagos State by claiming that it solely belongs to the Yoruba people.
He stated that such politicians have ulterior motives, and his statement is in contrast to the stance of some APC stakeholders, including former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode, who insist that Lagos solely belongs to the Yoruba people. GRV argued that it contradicts the notion that Lagos is a no man’s land while referencing the silence of some Yoruba leaders during the herdsmen invasion in some parts of Nigeria.
According to GRV, "Lagos State has been in harmony for a long time. What happens is politicians try to divide us. Let us be wary of politicians who remember that they are Yoruba when it is time for politics. When Fulani herdsmen were making incursions into Oyo and people like Sunday Igboho and Rotimi Akeredolu stood up, a lot of politicians in Lagos were quiet. They played politics with it. When it was time for Amotekun, they were quiet. They were quiet on so many interests of the Yoruba people because they wanted an alliance with the north. So, they put their political interest above the interest of their people. And all of a sudden, it is election time and they are reminding you that this person does not speak Yoruba."
