Former Lagos State governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has kicked against any attempt to oppress and silence Raye, the corps member who criticized the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu.

Raye recently took to TikTok to call out the Tinubu administration over the economic hardship faced by Nigerians since it was sworn in.

In another TikTok video, the young lady claimed that she was threatened over the phone by an official of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for criticizing the President.

Reacting, Rhodes-Vivour described the alleged threat as a direct assault on citizens’ liberty.

In a post on X, Rhodes-Vivour reminded authorities that Nigeria runs a constitutional democracy, not a monarchy where the people are subjects to a king. Hence, citizens have a moral and constitutional right to hold dissenting views and opinions.

“Our youths are in pain, suffering great deprivation because a corrupt and incompetent political class has stolen their future. But it doesn’t end with them inflicting pain and hardship—they still want to determine how you react to their oppression.

“They want you to smile at cruel oppression, to celebrate mediocrity, and applaud stagnancy.

“We owe it a duty to our conscience, country, and unborn generations to resist this tyranny. We will not submit. We are not slaves. We are citizens.

“I stand with Raye,” he said.