Loquacious All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Engr. Joe Igbokwe, has come under blistering attack from a cross section of his Igbo kinsmen outraged by his prediction of political doom for the race following the refusal of Anambra people to vote for his party’s candidate, Senator Chris Ngige, in last Saturday’s governorship election.

Reacting to the fate that befell Ngige, who is placing third in the inconclusive ballot, Igbokwe had said, as reported yesterday by News Express: “For playing ethnic politics and hatred we wait to see how this will help Ndigbo. Igbo want to rule Nigeria but shameless and selfish politics will not allow them to build alliances and networks with others who will vote for Igbo candidate. We have been building alliances with Yoruba since 1985 to rescue Nigeria but people like you soaked in primordial sentiments and ethnic preoccupation will not let it work. APGA controls one state out of 36 states and yet you want to produce the president of Nigeria. You have NOT asked yourself why Yoruba abandoned ACN for APC, why the North left CPC and ANPP for APC. The world is leaving Igbo behind.”

Almost all the Igbos who reacted to the story faulted Igbokwe and upbraided him for his utterances. Below are the responses, including three by non-Igbos:

Afam B. C. Nnaji: So, according to Joe Igbokwe, APC must win the Anambra election for the people of Anambra and the Igbos to get closer to the presidency via APC? This line of thinking is wrong and misleading at best.

While I believe strongly that the ‘reject Chris Ngige and APC because APC is Yoruba and Hausa party’ campaign was in bad taste and would cost us in future if we ever ask for or need the support of the same people in a presidential election in Nigeria because politics is a game of rub my back and I rub your back.

Put differently, APGA, PDP and LP could have campaigned against Ngige if they wanted to without the Yoruba and Hausa angle.

That stated, let it be known that PDP offers Ndi Igbo a more realistic and shorter route to the presidency than APC as ACN and CPC will not sacrifice their parties only to look for an Igbo man to be made the president.

By the way, do we have an APGA senator from the North or South West? For the records, we have an APC senator in the South East.

Will APC allow an APGA candidate to win a governorship election in the North or South West? I think not and herein lies the hypocrisy!!!

Agumba Agu: Wonders will never end, where did this clown come from and why do you people take him seriously. When did building alliances become synonymous with becoming a foot mat? A man who has sold himself and mortgaged his family to a few political jobbers in Lagos, a man who can watch and congratulate a provincial regime dehumanising fellow Nigerians and in fact writes volumes to justify an unjustifiable and inhuman act, need I say more. This is a man who cries more than the bereaved, well, perhaps l am being too hard on him as he must do this to justify his stipends. So it has come to this, that a man with an Igbo name in the employ of Lagos is now threatening Ndi Igbo because they refuse to be disrespected in their own domain. As God is our witness, we love our fellow compatriots the Yorubas as we must all live together in peace but not on Igbokwe’s terms maka igboekwebe.

Ifenjika Christian Okechukwu: Mr igbokwe is that the reason you want to kill APGA? When Lagos state was the only Ac state in Nigeria with Tinubu as the governor. why did'nt you advise him to merge with ANPP? Until ac had got six state then u start talking aabout merger, because u feel u have arrived. Pls. U people should allow apga to win more state before we can talk about merging with other political parties

Gerald Okonkwo: Nwata fu ogu e gboro egbo, o chee na o di nmfe. I urge you Mr Igbokwe to change your name because if you had taken time to go through history, you would not only decamp from that APC, that have a vestes intention to deceive the Igbos, but also appologise to INDIGBO.

Yes, it’s possible that election was planned to be manipulated by APC and APGA but APGA outsmarted you. And GOD allowed it for their own good.

Once again, I urge you to have a rethink of the part you are unwittingly playing in sabbotaging the Igbo race.

Ikenna Nweke: May your days be long my brother. Igbokwe is simply an idiotic fifth columnist.

Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba: Mr. Igbokwe, what are the odds of an APGA candidate winning in Lagos or Ado-Ekiti? How would you describe such a failure? If The people of Anambra voted for Willie an Anambra man and rejected Chris an Anambra man how could that be tribal politics? Is one Anambra man better than the other?

Ejike Ikezuagu: Joe Igbokwe, I am yet to see any of your actions promoting the unity and development of Igbo land as your article seems to make us believe. It is a known fact that you have never been for the progress of Igbo projects. Your personal interest is always paramount.

Nzeogwu Ihegaeme: As a writer, I respect Engr. Joe Igbokwe.But, if it is true that Joe said what News Express attributed to him on Ndi Igbo, then, something is really wrong somewhere. I want Engr. Igbokwe to clarify.

Azubike Nnadozie: Who is Igbokwe in Igbo politics to make such assertion? A mere hirling of Lagos AD/APC?

Victor Enyinnaya: Igbokwe must justify the money embarked for the election. He is a featherweight in Igbo politics. Pity, he keeps making noise insulting Ndigbo. when it comes to APGA winning election in Anambra State, its tribal politics. Igbokwe has long shot him self on the leg. He should stop crying wolf where there is non!!

Okechukwu S. Oruruo: Isaac Umunna don’t glorify this character by giving him publicity. If he say half of the things he tells his kinsmen to his masters he would have been out of job, long ago.

Justus Uche Ijeoma: Joe Igbokwe has squandered whatever respect that is left of him. That’s the truth behind his recent grandiloquent pontifications. First, he started to arrogate the position “Igbo leader” to Ngige, a known election rigger. He shamelessly defended Igbo deportation. In the heat uke stamped, Joe Igbokwe, after his initial fruitless efforts to distort the facts of the incident, he embarked on a self lacerating and curse-attracting ventures when he falsely accused the Catholic Bishop of Onitsha, V Okeke and the presiding priest of the Adoration Program, Fr Ebubemuonso of collecting an undisclosed sum as bribe for the purpose of covering the truth. It's obvious that Mr Igbokwe is obsessed with the amala and red-oil soup he gets from the politics of Yoruba land.

Francis Udeagu: Too much amala and ewedu have disorganized his mental balance!

Philip Nwosu: No! Igbos will not suffer, Anambrarian will not suffer, rather Igbokwe Joe will suffer

Ikechukwu Akwarandu: Anybody that refused to vote for Ngige because of his membership of APC is just being myopic. When has APC become an Hausa and Yoruba party? Then Rochas Okorocha should be banished from Igbo land. Aren’t they the same people that claimed they voted Jonathan not PDP in 2011 general elections. This is double standard to say the least

Oliver Chinweze

@ ikechukwu it seems you don’t know that Rochas is about to be I quote you. BANISHED FROM IGBO LAND that is the next step now

Sanya Ademiluyi: Igbokwe is already lost to the lucre of APC.good bye,onye.

Bayo Ogunyemi: I can understand how Igbokwe feels. He has lost a chance to be a king maker. It is painful but rather than result into emotional outburst, he should work more on modalities for rigging the supplementary election. They can still out rig APGA and get a judge to cancel APGA and PDP vote in the court. By the time their judge cancels 10lg, like they did in Osun, am sure Ngige will get the required votes to rule anambra.

Rotimi Eweje: Emotional outbursts, you are free to call whatever he says what you like. But please to make sense, state what his outbursts where, and let’s scrutinise it whether they are facts or as you so described it ‘emotional outbursts’.

•Photo shows Joe Igbokwe.

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