Labour Party's GRV wants to get rid of Lagos danfos as governor

If Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (GRV) is elected the governor of Lagos on March 11, 2023, one of his most pressing concerns is replacing the danfo buses plying the roads of the state.

The Labour Party candidate is one of the main challengers standing in the way of the second-term ambition of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Babajide Sanwo-Olu is keen on becoming Lagos State's third two-term governor since 1999 [Twitter/@jidesanwoolu] Pulse Nigeria

While discussing one of the qualities that sets him apart from other candidates, GRV said in a recent interview he plans to run a government that minimises the inconvenience of Lagosians.

One of the problems he's set his eyes on is the danfo buses many of which have become eyesores on Lagos roads.

"We need to change all the danfos in Lagos State. We need about 70,000 danfos to replace them and the government doesn't need to buy all of them.

"We can create a platform that's selling seats on each of these buses and you can have ₦50k and you're investing that, and every month the state pays you.

"With that, we've raised a pool of money that's been able to help us buy all these buses and also create wealth for as many people as possible," the 39-year-old told Menisms Podcast.

The governorship election is GRV's third contest for office since 2017 - he lost the previous two [The Punch] Pulse Nigeria

GRV lost the Ikeja Local Government Area chairmanship election as a KOWA Party candidate in 2017, and the Lagos West senatorial district election as a candidate of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019. He defected to the Labour Party in 2022 after losing out on the PDP's governorship ticket to Olajide 'Jandor' Adediran.

The candidate's profile has swelled following the February 25 presidential election which saw the Labour Party's candidate, Peter Obi, sensationally win Lagos ahead of the APC's Bola Tinubu.

Even though Tinubu (right) lost to Obi (left) in Lagos, he won the presidential election; but the Labour Party has legally challenged the result over allegations of electoral malpractices [Twitter/@FSyusuf] Pulse Nigeria

Tinubu was Lagos State governor between 1999 and 2007 and the three successors who have come after him only emerged with his seal of approval. The party has comfortably won Lagos governorship elections for decades, with lukewarm opposition from the PDP, but last week's loss to the LP has forced a panicked Sanwo-Olu to campaign more seriously over the past week.

Next Saturday's election is now considered a three-way contest between Sanwo-Olu, GRV and Jandor. If he wins, GRV's key promise is to deliver quality governance that creates an enabling environment, fights poverty and ensures Lagosians have flourishing lives and businesses.