Eze Dimba says Igbokwe is total failure to Ndigbo APC
Eze Dimba says Igbokwe is total failure to Ndigbo APC
…Group says Orji Kalu is right candidate for Senate presidenc
…Hon ldimogu harps on party agreement
An APC stalwart and the factional Executive Coordinator of Ndigbo in APC l, Lagos, Eze Uche Dimba has described Chief Joe Igbokwe the Apex leader of Ndigbo in APC Lagos State as a failure and a total liability to the Igbo Speaking Community .
Eze Dimba who was responding to a disclaimer made by Hon Joe lgbokwe on his support for Senator Orji Uzor Kalu for Senate President, in a press conference with Journalists, said that lgbokwe’s inability to unite, mobilize Ndigbo and bring them closer to the corridors of power has made the party loose several elections because the people were not carried along.
He also stated that the conspiracy against the Igbos in APC can no longer be explained away or misconstrued as political naivety or miscalculation all because of the failure played in the part of Igbokwe .
“I would have decided to keep quiet but to keep the record straight,I want to let the world to know that I still remain the Executive Coordinator of Ndigbo in APC(Authentic) Lagos State and the address right from the beginning still remain the same.i remember far back when the president Bola Ahmed Tinubu called me to assist him in mobilizing the various Igbo group together and ask hon Joe who was part of the government to assist me. We decided that since he is in government let us make him the Apex leader”
“We discovered that due to his selfishness, incompetency and failure to even mobilize the Igbos into the party the Igbos lost so many positions for the party during electioneering period, because of this we decided to pull out and because we have the structure, organization secretariat we decided to call ourselves Ndigbo in APC (Authentic ). The problem lgbokwe is facing is that the Igbos have rejected him because wants to associate with failure and because of his incompetency, lack of political appointment even in local government,our yoruba brothers don’t trust us any more, in short he has killed Ndigbo in APC so we decided to move and we have been able to build the organization stronger.” He submitted
Chief Okpotemba disclosed that the Ndigbo in APC, Lagos have unanimously agreed that the leadership of the Senate should come to the South East for the interest of equity and justice, noting that the best man for the job is Dr Orji Uzor Kalu who is selected based on his experience being the oldest member of Nigerian National Assembly,and having served in the 4th National Assembly as member of House of Representative between 1992 and 1993, during the aborted Third Republic under Agunwa Anakwe as the Speaker then.
The group coordinator Chief Uche Dimba , said Kalu deserved to lead the 10th Senate because of his experience and the role he played in the electoral victory of the APC, stressing that Kalu played significant role in the election of Tinubu for president and also supported his Muslim -muslim ticket when so many opposed it.
“Though the party has nominated someone from the south south,but we are saying that it is our turn,the organization is not in agreement with the zoning of key offices of the 10th National Assembly as has been proposed by our party.
“We are not against the party but the party should consider their decision,so that there will not be antagonizing
“We are not forcing the party but we are lobbying, knowing fully well that most of the Lawmakers are not in full backing of the Senator Akpabio. Take a look at it this way when the party nominated Senator Ahmed lawal as their Presidential candidate, Asiwaju said no “emilokan” and they went into primaries,the rest is history, all we are saying is that leadership of the Senate must be given to a ranking officer who is experienced,detrabilized, competent and one who has the interest of the nation at heart and that person is no other than Dr Orji Uzor Kalu ” he stated .
Lending his voice, Chief Emeka Odoemelam, said that the fact that lgbokwe has been with the party for years, the Igbos expect him to provide the right direction,to be a bridge builder between the Igbo and the yoruba community but he has failed the party and the organization.
” In 2015, with all his wealth of expertise,the party lost 6 house of Assembly seats even in the Igbo dominated areas because the Igbos were not carried along in the scheme of affairs,he never mobilized the Igbos for the party, despite the allocation given to his office and this now made our yoruba brothers to believe that we worked against them in the last presidential election.” He said.
The deputy director Ethnic Affairs, Chief Anselm Njoku opined that lgbokwe has made the Igbos to loose their faces in the government but the Ndigbo in APC( Authentic)is making sure that the dignity of the Igbos is restored
Njoku noted that the lgbos have embraced the party All Progressive Congress and with the acceptance of the lgbos into accepting the party,the lgbos are supposed to be occupying some various positions.
“Since 1999, Igbokwe has been with the government, and he has never use his power to attract the Igbos into the party. He is selfish and also practicing meolism as he wants to be the only person to be relevant in the system, in short we have disown him Sad our apex leader ” he said.
On the issue of the leadership of the Senate,we are appealing to the leadership of the party and the Senate to reconsider and elect Orji Kalu as the president of the Senate as this will give the lgbos an edge and make them to accept the party the more.
In a response the deputy apex leader of Ndigbo APC Lagos,hon Jude ldimogu stated that the party has decided who will become the Senate president except the party says otherwise.
The former lawmaker who represented Oshodi Isolo ll State Constituency noted that Chief Okpotemba has every right to support whosoever but using the name of the organization is not acceptable.
” Ndigbo in APC remains one strong entity, and the group has align themselves with the decision of the party except they said otherwise,as it stands we are throwing our weight to Senator Akpabio, although Orji Uzor Kalu is our brother but we cannot go against the decision of the party. For Chief Okpotemba he should look for another name than decieving the party or rather he should come back because we need his wealth of expertise to help build the party.” Idimogu stated.
Efforts to reach hon Joe lgbokwe proved abortive as he was not picking up his calls .
