“Why we voted Sanwo-Olu after handing ticket to GRV” — Ex-Labour Party chairman Reveals

Olukayode Ezekiel Salako, a former Lagos State Chairman of the Labour Party, criticized Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (GRV), the party’s governorship candidate in the 2023 election, stating that he ran his campaign poorly and behaved like a sadist in politics.

In a statement released on Sunday, Salako described GRV as lacking character and claimed that if he had won, he would have set Lagos‘ progress back by 10 years.

Salako also noted that Rhodes-Vivour was disrespectful towards the state executive council of the party and expressed irritation towards him and Yoruba people in the party.

The former Labour Party chairman stated that Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour started to misbehave and tried to sideline him despite being the one that handed him the ticket for free.

Salako on How he Chose GRV
“Immediately I gave him the ticket free of charge, without negotiating, or charging him to give me anything, he started misbehaving, and making unhidden/uncultured moves to push me aside from his project.

“I had thought I would give him the ticket, and the project would be our project. I had thought we would run things together to achieve the success together. My avowed mission then was to win Lagos for Labour Party, so that I can make a name for myself as the State Chairman.

“I didn’t know much about him. I didn’t even bother to know. Badly enough, I didn’t even know he couldn’t write/speak the language of the state he wants to govern. He hid his nature from me.

“I didn’t even know he has a popular Ibo name and speaks only Ibo language fluently. I only knew that his wife and mother are Ibos, which to me, would even make our party to get good votes from the Ibo population in the election.

GRV’s Attitude After Accepting Ticket
“But, immediately he got the ticket, he started running things all alone with his EndSARS people and some Obidient movement allies. He sidelined almost all the Yorubas and prominent leaders and elders on the platform and suddenly became purely Ibo inclined.

“Nothing Yoruba was ever attractive to him again. He stopped listening to me, or anybody in the party – Not even the elders and leaders I reported him to on few occasions.

How GRV Lambasted Salako Publicly

“He eventually did away with me. And, when I reported him to the elders and leaders in our party the first time, hear what he rudely said to me, his State Chairman, as at the time: ‘I am so mad at you right now Mr. Salako. Am I owing you anything, or sharing your wife with you?

“’Do you think I don’t have a mind of my own, when I decided I want to come out to be governor. You can’t be sounding like a godfather in my life on this project. I don’t need a godfather, or anybody to keep telling me what to do. I have a mind of my own.

“’Please, tell me. If I am owing you anything, I will pay you. Am I owing you anything, or what?! I am so mad at you right now. Am I sharing your wife with you, or owing you and your wife anything?

“’Or, is there any secret thing we both did together? If there is any, please, you can say it here now and bla! bla!! bla!!! …’

“This response was openly in the presence of all the leaders and elders that were present at the meeting on that fateful day.

How Labour Party Leaders Abandoned GRV
“The chairman of the leaders/elders forum of our party then, who presided over the meeting that day, Chief Sumbo Onitiri, also eventually saw what I saw about him/the party in the course of the project, and backed out at the dying minute with disappointment. He is now accidentally a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

“Salvador, who is the apex leader of the party in the state, also backed out along with many other prominent stakeholders, including many of the LGA/LCDA Chairmen of the party.

“I also stayed on my own throughout the period and voted for Babajide Sanwo-Olu to continue to run Lagos State as progressively peaceful as he has been running it over the last 3 years. Throughout my stay in office as the State Chairman of the party, vindictively he never got my office involved in anything; gave me anything, or did anything with me.

“I got no ‘shishi’ or any encouragement to run my office, or anything as at the period. I was completely sidelined. All he was doing was working with my detractors for me to be removed as the State Chairman of the party, and he and his very bitchy deputy, Princess Abiodun Oyefusi.

GRV Kicked Out Salako, Faced Brunt

“Eventually got me removed about 1 month and few days to the February 25 presidential/national assembly election with the help of Dayo Ekong, the current ‘Margaret Thatcher’ caretaker chairman of the party in the state (which I nominated by myself to take over from me, because of my sincere love for her and the value I built for what we shared when I was in office) and Sam Okpala, the insatiable and domineering state secretary of the party.

“Sam Okpala feels he owns the party. The party is his personal property. And so, he must be the one in control, or else, he would do anything to orchestrate your removal through his Abuja connection.

“What was my offence?! Because, I reported him to the leaders in the party to tell him to do the right thing with the party, which he never did. All I was asking the governorship candidate of my party to do was to do the right thing with the party so that the party also can do the right thing with his project.

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