As gubernatorial elections approach in various states, including Lagos and Rivers, there is increasing attention on the Labour Party candidate in Lagos, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.
However, some have raised concerns over the issue of his ethnicity and where he comes from. Yemi Adamolekun, Executive Director of Enough is Enough, criticized Lagos for playing a dangerous game of ethnic baiting, noting that Rhodes-Vivour is half-Igbo and married to an Igbo woman. This has led to a narrative that Lagos is hostile to Igbos, with Rhodes-Vivour’s heritage becoming a subject of conversation.
Adamolekun reminded members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) that Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is married to an Itsekiri and Lebanese lady, is not from Lagos, and neither is the current governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. She suggested that the legitimacy of being a Lagosian should not be determined by whom one is married to, and cautioned against using ethnic identity as a political tool.
