The acrimonious alignments ahead of the 2023 general elections within Ndigbo in Lagos All Progressives Congress seemed not to end anytime soon, as the Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services Mr. Joe Igbokwe and a Lagos lawmaker, Hon. Jude Idimogu, on Saturday battled each other over executive list of Ndigbo in Lagos APC, Ejigbo LCDA Chapter.
The clash occured at the official inauguration of Executive Members of Ndigbo in APC, Lagos State, Ejigbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Chapter at the party secretariat.
It would be recalled that the party had earlier resolved the leadership tussle between the duo by declaring Igbokwe as the apex leader of Ndigbo in Lagos APC, while Idimogu is the deputy.
But all is not well with duo as the inauguration was conducted by Igbokwe amidst protest from the group loyal to Idimogu, who represents Oshodi-Isolo Constituency II in the Lagos State House of Assembly.
The placards wielding protesters note that as bonafide Ndigbos in the area they cannot tolerate the injustice playing out, as they were been sidelined by people who really have no stake in the politics of the Ejigbo,Oshodi Isolo locality.
The placards has bold inscriptions that states their grievances with the apex leader Engr Joe Igbokwe.
“Joe Igbokwe go back to Surulere”, Joe Igbokwe you can’t control Igbo’s in Lagos go back to Nnewi your burnt house”,”Joe Igbokwe don’t cause issues in Oshodi isolo.”
Speaking with newsmen after the rancorous inauguration, Idimogu said that the inauguration was not supposed to hold until all interest groups were harmonised so as not to deepen trouble among Ndigbo in Lagos APC.
“Today’s event is inconclusive. We are Igbos in APC. I am a serving member of the Lagos State House of Assembly and the only Igbo man in elective position and this makes me a factor and leader in the party.
“Joe Igbokwe does not contest election, he cannot come here and control me. This is my territory and I represent people here. It is not fair and acceptable for anyone to come here and inaugurate executives without my input.
“It is not normal, it is an injustice. It is an assault and affront and disrespect to me. My position is that this inauguration cannot hold because the house is not complete,” Idimogu said.
According to him, his members are not going to fight, neither are they going to destroy anything but must be carried along.
Idimogu urged the party leadership to wade in urgently because election is coming.
The lawmaker added: “Election is coming and the party knows that in this particular zone we have a lot of non-indigenes and they are watching.
“I am appealing to my leaders, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Mr Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Rt- Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, Lagos APC Chairman, Hon. Cornelius Ojelabi and other leaders to call Igbokwe to order.
“The party should intervene. We don’t want our party to fail in 2023 elections. Igbos must be carried along,” he said.
Sunrise.ng reports that the inauguration was done in a hurried manner as names of the inaugurated could not be read as the lawmaker insist on fairness to all shades within the polity represented there.
While conducting the inauguration, Igbokwe said that there was nothing he had not done to resolve the crisis in the council.
“There is nothing I have not done to put this house together. By the Grace of God with all the power conferred on me as the Apex Leader, I hereby inaugurate this excos,” he said.
Igbokwe, however, said that all the infighting would be resolved and fixed, adding that the door was still opened for reconciliation.
Earlier, loyalists of Idimogu staged a peaceful protest at the venue over an alleged sidelining of their group, saying they were not carried along in the selection process.
Chief Mrs Nelly Okafor, one of the Ndigbo women leaders, who frowned at attempt to deny loyalists of Idimogu access into the secretariat, said that the inauguration would not be allowed to hold until there was harmonisation.
Okafor said :”Ndigbo in APC in Ejigbo LCDA has a very big problem and we are factionalised. We have three factions. We solicit the intervention of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu Sanwo-Olu and other party leaders to intervene.
“Our leader in this constituency, Hon. Jude Idimogu, has pleaded with the party to hold on for harmonisation to be done because the 2023 election is fast approaching.
“We want intervention of party leaders. We want the party to bring all the Igbos in APC together, let us harmonise and there will be proper inauguration.”