21st May, 2014
The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has described as irresponsible, uncouth and callous the allegations leveled against the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu over his personal endorsement of the candidature of Mr. Akin Ambode for the Lagos State gubernatorial contest in 2015.
It further describes the allegation by the Lagos PDP that it has discovered that elections are rigged at the palace of the Oba of Lagos as deranged, sick, idiotic, baseless and the uncoordinated afterthoughts of a nonexistent party to drive down its callous threat against the Oba.
The party says that the rude and callous statement emanating from Lagos PDP flows from its frustration that the revered Oba rejected the multimillion dollar bribe the PDP has been dishing out to traditional rulers nationwide. It states that the threat by the PDP to burn down the palace of the Oba of Lagos is a collective threat to the peace loving people of Lagos and that Lagosians must take up the threat as against them.
In a release in Lagos, signed by the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Joe Igbokwe, the party said that it is unbecoming of a party that has been saddled with the leadership of the country for fifteen regrettable years of our nationhood to resort to gutter language and cheap blackmail to malign the integrity of the Oba of Lagos just for personally endorsing an aspirant who has not even emerged from our great party and rejecting the multimillion dollar scandalous bribery the PDP is freely using to entrap traditional rulers to endorse the renewal of the disastrous leadership that has wrecked Nigeria today .
It says that the sorry bunch that calls itself Lagos PDP is deeply seeped in frustration that their banditry is not being allowed in Lagos and as a result, they have become loose cannons that seek to disrupt the orderliness, progress, good governance and perfect security Lagosians have been enjoying at a period the PDP has reduced Nigeria to a district in Somalia.
“For record purposes, the Oba of Lagos never made any illegal statement by stating his preference for the candidacy of Ambode who is still an aspirant of our party. We state that other traditional rulers have been known to make similar endorsements, and even President Jonathan was openly cavorting traditional rulers all over the country recently for his presidential re-election aspiration.
“It is understandable that Lagos PDP has made itself a tale bearer that invests in speculating and circulating rumours and gossips, trading lies and innuendos over who gets what ticket and who backs who in Lagos APC. We dare say their attempt to pre-empt whoever emerges as APC candidate instead of working to present a credible candidate for their party, is downright silly and flows from the same lack of seriousness that has been the hallmark of Lagos PDP,” said Igbokwe.
He added that “with another election, we are seeing the plot to levy war, cause anarchy and disrupt the peace, orderliness, good governance and progress that has ruled in Lagos since 1999. We all saw how a serving Minister illegally used soldiers to stop state mass housing schemes in some parts of Lagos on the ludicrous claim that the land on which these schemes were built belonged to the PDP since they were reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean. We all saw the recruitment of thugs under the guise of FERMA Lagos police for the purpose of provoking and visiting terror on Lagosians en route 2015. And coming at a time millions of Nigerians are wallowing without jobs, food and shelter
“Lagos APC wants, by this message, to put the good people of Lagos State on notice about the evil intentions of the PDP; a party that has so disgraced and ridiculed Nigeria in the comity of nations and has brought untold suffering, hunger and hopelessness on Nigeria in fifteen years of unbridled corrupt and inept governance. We want to let them know that the few merchants of terror that call themselves Lagos PDP are playing their masters’ tune of unleashing violence and terror on Lagos as a prelude to 2015 and we want to put them on notice that they will fail.
“We urge Lagosians to be ready to defend not only the interests of Lagosians but also their rights to choose the best people and government to continue its envious progress and growth in 2015. We want to assure Lagosians that the Lagos State government is able and ready to deal with the anarchists that have vowed to disrupt the peace and progress of Lagos as a political strategy to 2015.”