Chief Joe Igbokwe is the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the All
Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview with Chinelo
Obogo, he took a critical look at the political pedigree and
antecedents of his party’s governorship candidate in Anambra
State, Dr. Chris Ngige, and declared that state people would
prefer him to other contestants.
Excerpts:
How have you resolved the crisis that trailed the emergence of
Senator Chris Ngige, as APC candidate?
Senator Chris Ngige has no serious competitor right from day one
and even those who showed interest to square up with him know
this fact very well. Ngige has a fantastic, excellent and
unquestionable pedigree that tends to dwarf the personality of
other candidates. Comparing Ngige and these other contestants
is like comparing apple and orange. It is like comparing President
Obama and President Jonathan. It is like comparing the capacity
of a brand new 504 pick-up van with the capacity of a 30-year old
Mark truck. Ngige’s antecedents have rendered nugatory the
ambition of these other contestants. His structures in Anambra
State are formidable, alive and strong. So, what you call a crisis is
the mere imagination of those that expected crisis in the
emergence of Ngige but who were disappointed in the
transparent way and manner the primaries were conducted by
the APC. It is a fact that apart from Ngige, every other candidate
in the election is wading through serious intra-party crisis. So,
there was no crisis to resolve except in the fertile imagination of
the opponents of Ngige.
How has been the campaign so far?
The campaign train is moving as expected, riding the smooth
roads, then bumpy roads, climbing the hills and descending with
grace and dignity, breaking ossified beliefs and heresies,
engaging the high and the low, drilling the deepest wells, making
politics sexy and adorable. The campaign is moving with common
sense (even though common sense is not common), reaching to
Igbo in Nigeria and Igbo in diaspora that what happens in
Anambra must not worry every Igbo man. Without sounding
immodest Anambra is the engine of Igboland. Anambra State
parades the highest class of intellectuals in the South-East and
South-South. Anambra State is one of the richest states in Nigeria.
Most celebrated leaders in the East of Nigeria are from Anambra
State. In Anambra State, wealth is almost distributed house to
house. In fact, a school of thought says if Anambra State is not
good Igboland cannot be good. It is based on this compelling
need to keep Anambra State strong that informed our decision to
beg Ngige to run again and our people are happy that he
accepted. Consequently anywhere we go there are shouts of
ONWA GA ETI OZO(The sun will shine again)
What effect has the relocation of Anambra indigenes from Lagos
had on the chance of Ngige in the coming election?
A sound and patriotic policy not targeted at any particular ethnic
group just to make Lagos livable, clean and decent has been
grabbed by ethnic chance takers and miserable politicians to
score cheap and dangerous political points. The plan of these
political nitwits and dwarfs is to use the so-called deportation to
bring Ngige to their level. These clowns know that they are not in
the same political page with the former Governor and Senator
Chris Ngige and therefore their devilish plan is to beat down
Ngige from his towering height to their miserable level by
engaging in primordial sentiments and ethnic pre-occupation. It
has failed and it will remain so.
It is dangerous politics that may rock the boat and put to danger
the cordial and well-respected relationship between Igbo and
Yoruba that dates back to 1970, if not properly handled. The
chance takers and peddlers of misinformation will fail. In 2011
Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State deported 29 Akwa-Ibom
State and Ebonyi State indigenes on the pretext that they were
begging in Awka and Onitsha and heaven did not fall. About the
same time Governor Orji of Abia State sacked over 3,000 indigenes
of Anambra, Imo, Enugu, and Ebonyi States from the Abia Civil
Service and sentenced tens of thousands of Igbo men and their
families to untimely death, eternal poverty and degradation yet
heaven did not fall. As I write this I hear that some lawyers said
they want to take Governor Fashola to court for the so-called
deportation. Ok fine. But let me ask the same lawyers to have the
courage to take Governor Obi and Orji to court also if they are not
tribal warlords. Again, as at today, Lagos still hosts more
Anambra people than Anambra State. Anambra people generate
more wealth in Lagos than in Anambra so who loses in the
devilish plot to use 14 destitute victims of poor, timid and rural
governance in Anambra, who were chased into Lagos to live
under the bridges for primitive politics in the end? But, as I said,
the Igboman is not foolish and will like to know why a
government feels its citizens are better off living as destitutes
under the bridges of Lagos than in their home state.
Don’t you think that rally in Onitsha on the day the Obi of
Onitsha was celebrating Ofala festival a political miscalculation?
Again, another dangerous politics to reduce the towering image
of Senator Chris Ngige. If reality is to prevail, Ngige Campaign
organisation had extensive discussion with the palace secretary
on the matter and the campaign organisation was asked to go on
since the Ofala festival in Onitsha is always conducted without
asking people to close shops or markets because Onitsha people
are civilised people, who practise their well-respected tradition
with grace, respect and profound dignity. Unfortunately, by the
time the campaign organisation was talking to the palace
secretary, our own HRH Igwe (Dr.) Alfred Achebe, was in retreat
(the normal tradition before the Ofala festival). I am sure the
palace secretary did not get the nod of His Royal Highness before
he asked the campaign organisation to go on. This is the mistake.
Senator Ngige is a traditionalist, who understands Onitsha
tradition very well and he could not have ignored the highly
revered Obi of Onitsha. Beyond all these, however, it speaks of
the depths and the height of depravity some people have taken
Anambra politics to, for them to believe that such issues and not
the general welfare of the people will count in the coming
election. They will be in for a shocker at the end of the day
because the common masses, who know the intricacies and
conspiracies between the present APGA government and the PDP
Federal Government which want to sell APGA as a knockdown
carcass to the PDP Federal Government.
How are you addressing the issue of power shift agitation to
Anambra North?
In Anambra State, we do not believe in the doctrine of power
shift because we do not celebrate mediocrity. Only the best is
good enough for Ndi Anambra, Ndigbo and Nigeria. Four years is
too much for a vibrant and a very important state to lose in the
name of zoning. In Anambra State, we believe that if need be to
form a football team for the state, only the best is good enough.
If eleven players come from Nnewi North, so be it. Zoning breeds
incompetence, mediocrity and backwardness in governance. You
fall back to such compromise considerations when you have failed
in governance. When Dr. Chris Ngige was governor between 2003
and 2006, every corner in Anambra felt his impact. He didn’t
need to appeal to primitive sectionalism that breeds such factors
as zoning to leverage his tremendous transformative powers in
all nooks and crannies of Anambra.
What is your candid assessment of Ngige’s chance in the
coming election?
There are 10 reasons why Ngige will be elected Governor
on November 16, 2013?
Dr Chris Ngige is a trained Medical Doctor of almost 40 years. He
was in the Federal civil service for 18 years. He has served as a
Governor for three years and made unprecedented impact under
very difficult and dangerous circumstances. He is serving Senator
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He is first President General of
Aka Ikenga, an organization of Igbo intellectuals. He liberated
Anambra State from despicable money bags and notorious
godfathers. Of all the candidates contesting for the Anambra
Governorship, Senator Ngige is the most experienced both in
politics and governance. Ngige is the only candidate that opened
the eyes of the people of Anambra State that there is money in
Government contrary to the picture previous Governors painted.
Ngige initiated and started the extensive road network we have
in Anambra today. Ngige is the boldest, the most courageous,
capacity driven, independent minded, most outspoken, fearless,
strong willed, and firm among the lots.
Can you briefly give an insight into what he has in stock for
Anambra people?
The taste of the pudding is in the taste. Anambra has tasted the
Ngige pudding and needs no other factor to know he remains the
best among the lots. The APC governors are putting up
superlative performances in their respective states because they
draw richly from the party manifesto and belief which place the
people above all other considerations in governance. We have
star performers in the APC who believe in the works of their
hands to gain electoral approval and not those who believe in
writing election results whether they perform or not. Senator
Ngige is coming back to reposition and retool Anambra State.
Insecurity in a cash-driven state like Anambra is the biggest
problem. Ngige will bring security to Anambra State the way he
did it before. Our people must travel home to enjoy their
mansions without being harassed by kidnappers, armed robbers
and petty thieves. Next is that we want to make the state capital
Awka to look like a capital of a State like Anambra. APC wants to
rebuild our educational institutions, our hospitals, our courts etc.
APC wants to boost the economy of Anambra and Igboland by
making Onitsha a seaport. APC wants to build a world class
Airport in Anambra State. APC wants to lift embargo on
employment in Anambra State put on hold since 2006.
What makes you feel that Senator Ngige is better than others?
A good product sells itself. Ngige opened the eyes of Anambra
people to know that governance goes beyond paying salaries
and pensions. Ngige revolutionalized road construction in
Anambra. Ngige proved beyond reasonable doubt that leadership
goes with responsibility in Anambra State. Ngige proved that
leadership is not measured by might. Ngige does not believe in
wealth without work, Ngige believes that a government must be
responsible and responsive. Ngige is a super brand. It is also
important to know that the capacities of other candidates put
together cannot be equal to the capacity of Senator Chris Ngige.