he Ndigbo in Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Tuesday held a Town Hall Summit where they endorsed the party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the state governorship candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for the 2023 general elections.
The event was held at the Blue Roof Event Hall, Lagos Television, Ikeja, and attended by APC chairman in Lagos, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi; the State Commissioner for Waterfront and infrastructure, Arch. Kabiru Abdulai; Jude Idimogu, the deputy leader of Ndi Igbo in APC and president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Lagos, Sunday Ossai, among other dignitaries. They said the endorsement was based on the conviction that they were capable of moving the state and Nigeria forward based on their antecedents.
Also, they said they were supporting Tinubu’s presidential ambition because they have the assurance that he would not disappoint Nigerians, harping on the fact that he had proven himself when he served as governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007.
Speaking at the event, the Special Adviser to Governor Sanwo-Olu on drainage and water resources, Joe Igbokwe, who is also the leader of Ndigbo in APC, reiterated the group’s loyalty and commitment to the ruling party, which he said remained their political platform.
Igbokwe said Ndigbo in Lagos APC had resolved to work for the victory of the party and their candidates in the forthcoming general elections, declaring that they would continue to pay back to Lagos as they needed to protect their investments.
“APC is our party, we have taken the decision that APC is our party. I will remain a patriotic and loyal member of this party, and our commitment will bring results.
“We are not into this party because of what will enter our pockets. We will continue to pay back to Lagos, we need to protect our investment.
“We need to work with the ruling party. We will work so hard because this is the idea which time has come. Give us the support and the push to deliver,” Igbokwe had said.
However, a letter which recently surfaced on the internet showed that the Igbo leaders requested N26 million to organise the event.
The letter was addressed to Igbokwe, who is an aide to Governor Sanwo-Olu.
“Given the level of contacts and mobilizations we have done so far with regard to the town hall meeting, we are expecting a minimum of four thousand five hundred people with PVCS who are members of our great party, APC of Igbo extraction in Lagos,” part of the letter read.
“We are constrained by the capacity of the hall at Ikeja, which is the venue (Blueroof) for the event, which is the reason for only 4,500 members comprising of the following. Therefore, with this number of people, we present to a very modest budget of approximately Twenty-Six Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira (26,400,000.00) only.”