Fact-Check: Did Gbadebo’s Mother Beg Yoruba for Forgiveness over Actions of Igbos in Lagos? 

Fact-Check: Did Gbadebo’s Mother Beg Yoruba for Forgiveness over Actions of Igbos in Lagos? 

Claim: A YouTube video of an unidentified woman uploaded by Oodua TV has emerged online claiming that the mother of Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Lagos gubernatorial candidate for Labour Party, LP, has apologized to Yoruba’s over a bigotry statement her Igbo fellows made after the presidential election. The claim has also been massively forwarded to Whatsapp groups and individuals. 

Full-Text: The YouTube video containing the claim reads: “Gbadebo’s mother beg the Yorubas in Lagos & Ask forgiveness over statemen “Lagos is no man’s land [sic]”

Reacting, a user said, “she is not Gbadebo’s mother. She is just an Igbo woman.”

Another commenter, Sunday Olowoyo said, “if they are sincere, let their leaders in Lagos do it, and promise that it will never happen again, and all these is just one somebody acting on her own. The matter is more serious than this, we should not be deceived, nobody is fighting anybody, all what we are saying is; there should be mutual respect with each other [sic].”

Similarly, Prince Eso Emmanuel said, “To every sensible, intelligent and accommodating Yoruba personality. pls let us accept gbadebo Mum’s action as NOT ENOUGH.. Until Gbadebo himself will come to the public domain through the Channel TVC News Platform to Make a Public Apology to that statement. By doing this,it will enable him and his supporters to admit their wrong doings. Then Lagosians and the Yoruba people in the entire south western Nigeria shall Not hold it against him during the next four to eight years general elections [sic].”

Verification: An online investigation conducted by PRNigeria revealed that the woman in the YouTube video seen, kneeling and apologising to Yorubas at an event is not the mother of Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Lagos gubernatorial candidate of Labour Party. 

PRNigeria observed that the woman in question was just apologizing to the entire Yoruba population over a statement by some Igbos that “Lagos is no man’s land.” 

A comparison of the picture of Gbadebo’s mother obtained by PRNigeria with that of the woman in question did not show any resemblance. 

Meanwhile, PRNigeria discovered a recent video of Gbadebo’s mother accusing the APC of vote-buying in Lagos State.

“My name is Mrs. Rhodes-Vivour. I am the mother of the incoming governor…my experience is nothing to write about it. People are buying votes openly. How can you vote and show people who you voted for and the APC person is capturing you to go and give you money?” 

Conclusion: based on the facts gathered by PRNigeria, the woman seen in the YouTube video apologizibg to Yorubas at an event is an unidentified Igbo woman and not Gbadebo’s mother as claimed. 

PRNigeria therefore concludes that the claim that Gbadebo’s mother has apologized to Yoruba’s over alleged bigotry statements during the electioneering period is FALSE and MISLEADING. 

By PRNigeria