Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Labour Party’s Lagos governorship candidate in 2023, has condemned video footage that appears to show leaders of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Lagos ordering members not to work with opposition party supporters.
In the clip, a NURTW leader in the Ajeromi/Ifelodun area is seen rebuking members for collaborating with anyone outside the All Progressives Congress (APC). The leader says the union gives its full support to the APC and described other parties in the state as “counterfeit,” warning that anyone who repeats what he called past transgressions would face suspension and ostracism.
“APC is our party in Lagos state. Another party is a counterfeit, whether you like it or not. We are not shy to say it,” the leader tells members in the video. “Anyone of your transport workers who misbehaves, suspend him and have the evidence. Nobody dares reinstate such worker. Even in that area where he lives, we will torment them and make them feel hell. We don’t joke with APC in Lagos state. Nobody should think that what happened in 2023 will repeat itself in 2027. Anybody who makes any silly mistake and misbehaves in 2027 will be dealt with. Go and let them know that it is APC you will vote.”
Another union official in the footage is heard telling members they cannot act against the APC, which he claimed “puts food on their tables.”
Sharing the videos online, Rhodes-Vivour said the union leaders were angry because his political gathering in Ajegunle had been successful. He said he would not be intimidated and accused the NURTW leadership of issuing directives that encourage attack and intimidation of opposition events.
“The @OfficialDSSNG is no doubt aware of the NURTW’s directives to its members, urging them to attack, hurt, maim, disrupt, intimidate, and harm opposition gatherings in Lagos,” he wrote, referencing previous incidents at his declaration in Alimosho and threats after the Ajeromi event.
Rhodes-Vivour alleged the APC and its allies in Lagos lack a record of accomplishments to campaign on and instead rely on mobilising groups to stifle dissent. He added that branding opposition voices as “enemies of the President” and threatening those who do not carry out such acts is an attempt to silence democracy through fear.
“We are not intimidated,” he said. “No one has a monopoly on violence. When this movie starts you will quickly realise we are the many; you are the few. Àwa náà ò kéré, awa gan ò dúró lásán. Ẹrù ìjà kò bá wá.” (We are not small; we will not stand idle. We are not afraid of conflict.)
The allegations, if confirmed, raise concerns about political intimidation and the role of transport unions in Lagos politics. The NURTW leadership and Lagos APC have yet to respond publicly to Rhodes-Vivour’s post.
