Labour Party slams Joe Igbokwe over allegation of stirring protests | Read Details
The Labour Party has frowned at a statement made by a chieftain of the APC, Joe Igbokwe alleging that followers of Labour Party are stirring the proposed August nationwide protest against bad governance.
Igbokwe in a piece released on Wednesday, had said in part that “the Endsars bandits are gathering again, and this time, we see hands of Labour Party followers everywhere. They are yet to come to terms with the colossal loss of 2023 presidential elections. They are still bitter to the marrows. They are not done yet. They are gathering again. They are networking again. They are spitting fire and brimstone once again. But dynamics have changed. It is not business as usual. But please know this and have inner peace: 2020 is not 2024. I will not speak further. Read my lips.”
Responding in a statement, the Publicity Secretary, Labour Party, Lagos state Olubunmi Odesanya, said:
*UNSOLICITED ADVICE FROM JOE IGBOKWE AND HIS FEAR OF LABOUR PARTY*
Our attention has been drawn to a vexatious statement credited to Mr. Joe Igbokwe, the self-acclaimed leader of Ndigbo in APC Lagos, under the headline *”An Honest Advice For Igbo Across Nigeria Especially Lagos”*
In the said piece, Mr. Igbokwe talked about the consequences of the ENDSARS protest of October 2020 and referred to those who participated in that protest as bandits. He equally warned against the participation of persons of Igbo extraction in any protest as proposed by some Northern Coalition Groups.
What we find worrisome in his piece was where he claimed *”we see hands of Labour Party followers everywhere”*
It is very curious and equally worrisome that Joe Igbokwe will, suddenly, wake up from his slumber to dream and see the hands of Labour Party followers everywhere.
It is obvious that, Mr. Igbokwe, having been relieved of his gutter cleaning duties by the LASG, is, seriously, trying to play his way back into the hearts of his Paymasters for relevance and possible appointment. As a fact, Mr. Joe Igbokwe failed in his gutter cleaning duties as evident in the floods that have ravaged Lagos State in the last two weeks.
Let us remind Joe Igbokwe that the right to peaceful protest is enshrined in our Constitution, same as the right to freedom of association. That Joe Igbokwe decided to clean Lagos gutters for the APC-led Government does not stop other citizens from associating with any party of their choice.
Also, we will like to ask Joe Igbokwe if those who participated in the 2012 protests against the hike in fuel prices were equally Bandits. Recall that that the 2012 protest was against fuel price hike but what we have on our hand now is not only fuel price hike in the name of subsidy removal without proper planning but also multi-dimensional poverty, food insecurity, high inflation rate and so on.
Our advice to our teeming members and supporters is that, since we all now aware that the target of this vicious government is to defame our Party with a view to decimating it, let us kindly conduct ourselves in the most law-abiding manner, be security conscious, make our voices be heard, if we choose to be part of the protest. It is better to be safe than sorry.
The hunger in the land is not limited to Labour Party Supporters alone but the generality of the citizens. We are all aware that it was the APC-led FG that created the hardship Nigerians are currently facing.
It is obvious that Labour Party is their nightmare, let them continue to have bad dreams.
