Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Labour Party candidate in the 2023 Lagos governorship election, has accused the ruling party of using fake social media accounts to cause division in the state ahead of the 2027 polls, during an interview with Punch on Sunday, September 21, 2025.
Rhodes-Vivour said accounts created with Igbo names have been spreading the claim that “Lagos is a no-man’s land.”
He dismissed the message as false, adding that he has never met any serious or successful Igbo person who makes such a statement.
According to him, the ruling party is behind the campaign, using it to create fear among Lagosians and target the Igbo population.
He linked the strategy to the 2023 general election, when Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, defeated President Bola Tinubu in Lagos.
He explained that the Igbos in Lagos played a major role in Obi’s victory, which shocked the ruling party and weakened Tinubu’s grip on his own base.
Rhodes-Vivour argued that the ruling party now sees ethnic politics as a tool to prevent a repeat of that outcome in 2027.
By pushing the “no-man’s land” debate through fake accounts, he said, they aim to create hostility towards Igbos and reduce their political influence in the state.
He described the campaign as dangerous, saying it forces Lagosians to take sides based on ethnicity rather than issues of governance.
He stressed that Lagos is not without history or ownership, but it is also a city built through the efforts of people from across Nigeria, including the Igbo community.
Rhodes-Vivour praised the role of Igbos in trade, housing, and real estate in Lagos.
He said their contributions make them development partners, not outsiders.
He urged Lagosians to reject attempts to turn diversity into division.
”As we get closer to 2027 elections, you start seeing these accounts with Igbo names saying things like ‘Lagos is a no-man’s land’. I have never met an Igbo man who says Lagos is a no-man’s land. I am talking about a person who has sense and who is successful,” he said.Continue, Full, Reading>>>>
Find Verified News At Your fingertips Click The Link Above .
Leave a Reply