#NigeriaDecides2023: Rhodes-Vivour tackles INEC over ‘unpaid staff, late arrivals of materials’

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Lagos state, has alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) refused to pay some of its ad hoc staff in a ploy to manipulate the polls. 

Speaking after voting at his polling unit in Ikeja, Rhodes-Vivour said the late arrival of voting materials in some areas of the state was also a part of the scheme. 

He alleged that a situation report he got from Alimosho LGA, and Iba 10 minutes earlier, was that election materials had not yet arrived. 

He claimed the electoral body is financially equipped to pay all debts.

“You have a situation where in Alimosho, Iba, till about 10 minutes ago, when I checked, polling materials had not arrived,” Rhodes-Vivour said.

“So, you’ll find out that everywhere that we are strong, either polling materials are yet to arrive, or some are alleging that they are not going to the field because they were not paid the last time. INEC has been funded to do all of these. So you know it’s a ploy to manipulate the elections.”

The LP candidate also alleged that INEC has colluded with thugs to harass voters over their refusal to enter the Victoria Garden City (VGC) area of the state. 

“Currently at VGC, the polling unit (officers) do not want to go into the estate. Instead, they are trying to get the polls to the express, where they’ve colluded with thugs to harass and disenfranchise them,” he added. 

“That is already an illegal thing because INEC because the polling units have an address, they have a location and it is not on the highway. So, this just puts the credibility of the exercise in question.”