CHUKA UBAH
The Chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Political Forum, Chief Chris Ekwilo, has stated that the duo of Chief Joe Igbokwe and Eze Uche Dimgba, have no electoral value to get Igbo votes for the APC in Lagos State because Ndigbo hate them with passion.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that Chief Ekwilo stated this at the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Secretariat in Surulere, Lagos, over the alleged threat by Joe Igbokwe to the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu that he will leave APC if the Party refuses his imposition of Eze Dimgba as Coordinator of Ndigbo in APC in Lagos State.
Chief Ekwilo stated that no Igbo man or woman will listen to Joe Igbokwe because of his perceived diarrhea of the mouth and what he has done to Ndigbo since 2006 when he, Ekwilo, admitted him into Politics in Lagos State and appointed him Igbo Apex leader, which he had since withdrawn.
Ekwilo explained that the body “Igbo in APC” has been scrapped and integrated into the Apex Igbo Organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State led by Chief Solomon Aguene, who set up Ohanaeze Ndigbo Political Forum, which Ekwilo is the Chairman including Igbo critical Political actors as members.
“The formation of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Political Forum marked the end of “Igbo in APC” and it has been dissolved by Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State” he said.
He wondered why Joe Igbokwe and Uche Dimgba will be threatening the APC in Lagos State as if they have played any positive role to get Igbo votes for the Party over the years when they were in the saddle of Igbo APC leadership in Lagos State.
He recalled that the duo were the cause of why the Igbo people do not support the APC in Lagos State in good numbers because when an Igbo man or woman sees their faces, they were bad enough to attract votes for the party because they do not want to associate with them because of their character.
He explained that some prominent Igbo people in Lagos State would want to support the APC in Lagos State but what had kept them away was because of the likes of Igbokwe and Dimgba, whose stock in trade was to deceive the Igbo people and over the years it backfired as no Igbo person wanted to have anything to do with them and members of their cabals.
Ekwilo noted that the best thing that has happened to APC in Lagos State was the dissolution of “Igbo in APC” and creation of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Political Forum by Chief Aguene, which has brought all the Igbo together to support the Party both at the National level and Lagos State.
He explained that the era of rented crowds to mislead the Party leaders by Igbokwe and members of his cabals was over because the since the collapse of “Igbo in APC”, prominent Igbo people in Lagos State have shown interest to support and influence Igbo votes for the APC.
“The creation of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Political Forum has guaranteed block votes for APC in Lagos State. The Igbo elites, who have many staff and companies, are working and influencing the Igbo to support APC in all the Local Government areas in the State” Ekwilo stated.
He stated that it was not the first time Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State has set up a Political Forum, stressing that in 2007, the former President, late Chief late John Nzewi, with the decision of the General Assembly formed Ohanaeze Political Forum and the Chairman was Chief Kambel Umeh with other members. And Umeh was among the 22-man Lagos State Party Exco inaugurated by the then Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He urged the APC leaders to consider and encourage Joe Igbokwe and Eze Dimgba to leave the Party as they threatened because their exit will ensure massive Igbo votes in Lagos State because they were the main obstacle why the Igbo in Lagos State have not been supporting APC in the State over the years.