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A former national Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George on Thursday publicly endorsed the candidature of the Labour Party in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour for the Saturday Governorship poll in the state.
The Lagos PDP candidate, Olajide Adediran popularly known as Jandor had been having a running battle with the elder statesman, George.
George, who made the public declaration in company of Rhodes-Vivour at his office in Ikoyi, Lagos, said the endorsement signified a new dawn for the liberalization of the State.
He however quickly hinted that he remains a member of the PDP, saying “I remain an irredentist member of PDP.”
He appealed to the teeming supporters present during the conference not to be deterred by the performance of ‘Oro rituals,’ saying they should come out en masse and vote for the candidates of their choice.
He said, “It is with a good sense of humility and responsibility that I make one final call to all compatriots of Lagos to stand united in our collective struggle to save the soul of our State.”
He stressed that the programme was organized by ‘Omo Eko Pataki Group’ which according to him, is a movement to freedom.
He added, “This is our finest hour to immortalize the memory of our dear son, the Late Engr. Funsho Williams. We must not let his contributions be in vain. On this premise, Omo Eko Pataki group, a new socio political movement, is born to ensure that our electoral process in Lagos will be free, fair and just. We insist on the use of electronic transfer of results rather than the unreliable, archaic, manual system. “O to ge.”
“All registered voters must come out to cast their votes without fear. On this, I appeal to all Security agencies to ensure protection of lives and properties of our people. All marauders and violent thugs must be arrested and be treated according to the laws of our land.
“The opportunity to liberate ourselves by the Power of the Almighty God has arrived.
“To all victims of the recent spate of attacks and all those who have lost properties and their sources of livelihood during this period, rest assured that this will be revisited in the new era of a legally-elected democratic government.
“To all civil servants and pensioners, welcome to the dawn of a new era.
It is pertinent to raise a germane issue about the appointee and surrogate of a Presidential candidate who is presently the man in charge of Information Technology at INEC. Yesterday, the INEC Spokesperson said there is no such person in their organization.
“My question is, Is that fellow not a consultant/contractor for the ICT department in the INEC office? Mr. INEC Spokesperson, be bold enough to tell the public what Mr. Femi Odubiyi is doing in the INEC office.”
He therefore appealed to INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu “to do the right thing and save Nigeria from being the butt of jokes in the comity of Nations.”