The 2023 Lagos State governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has recounted a conversation he had with a major leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) about former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi.
Rhodes-Vivour said that when he was in PDP, Obi had come to address party delegates ahead of the party’s presidential primary election.
According to him, when Obi was done with his speech, the PDP Leader whose name he did not mention, told him that the ex-governor is the kind of leader that Nigeria needs, but not the politician PDP needs.
Rhodes-Vivour stated this when he made an appearance on a popular podcast, “The Honest Bunch”.
He said: “Peter Obi came (at the time I was in PDP) to talk to the delegates that would go and vote in convention for who the presidential candidate should be. And I remember he wore a white t-shirt and trousers and he started speaking about statistics and everything.
“When he left, party leaders were like ‘we don’t know, we don’t know’. Then, I sat down with one of the major leaders and he said ‘Peter Obi is the leader we need for Nigeria, but not the politician we need for us’. Why is that? Because His Excellency Peter Obi believes in sharing a vision, and lifting you to that vision. So, he would spend time educating you; while other politicians are not concerned about selling a vision. They just want you to take the money.”
Rhodes-Vivour attributed Obi’s continued soaring political influence to his tendency to share his vision with people in order to create a connection.
Obi, who was the presidential candidate of LP in the 2023 general elections, enjoyed the overwhelming support of the youth who rallied around him in their quest for a new political order in Nigeria.
Rhodes-Vivour expressed optimism that Nigeria is moving to a new phase where people can win elections without buying votes, adding that the young people are looking for leaders.
“The youth are looking for a leader, but the problem is people that have been coming out are not worthy of the youth’s votes,” he noted.
“We must now start putting out messaging that lets the power that be know that this cannot be the same anymore.”
The politician stressed that those who steal power do not work for the people, noting that Nigeria is far worse today than it was before the last general elections.
“Look at the situation of Nigeria: we’re worse off than before the election. So, the election has consequences,” Rhodes-Vivour said.