The All Progress Congress (APC) yesterday criticised the decision by Anambra State Governor Peter Obi to sensationalise the recent home return of 14 Anambra indigenes from Lagos. The party said only 14 and not 72 indigenes of the Southeast state were returned as widely claimed.
In a statement in Lagos by its interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said instead of reaching out to his Lagos counterpart, as he has done on less important issues in the past, Obi fired an over-dramatised letter to the Presidency and leaked such to the media, thus setting off an avoidable friction between the Igbo and the Yoruba that will not augur well for the nation’s unity.
It said indications are that Obi’s resort to a media campaign, which has triggered a vicious Lagos State/Yoruba bashing, is aimed at gaining an undue advantage ahead of the forthcoming Anambra governorship election, instead of being borne out of sheer altruism.
The party said: ‘’We are not saying Obi has no right to play politics, but he must fight clean and avoid any action that could hurt not just the enduring harmony between the Igbo and the Yoruba, but also the unity of the country.
‘’Resorting to primordial sentiments anytime election is approaching is Obi’s modus operandi. He did it just before the 2009 election, when he labelled the ACN under which Dr. Chris Ngige contested as a Yoruba party, and he is going down the same path now. This is all about the November 2013 election. If Governor Obi is sure of his performance, he should allow that to speak for him and stop whipping up tribal sentiments.
‘’It is very dishonourable for a political leader at the level of Obi to show total disregard for the truth and to whip up emotions for personal gains, as he has done on this issue. By his deliberate and blatant distortion of facts, as we will show shortly, Obi has raised a serious doubt about his leadership qualities.
APC went on: ‘’Equally guilty of indiscretion at best and deliberate peddling of falsehood at worst are the various ‘analysts’, ‘commentators’, out-of-luck NGOs and organisations that have jumped onto the bandwagon of Lagos bashing over the issue, mischievously tagged ‘deportation’ instead of what it is (home return for proper integration), when they could have sought the truth from the Lagos State Government.
‘’Even some of the respectable Igbo socio-political organisations failed the simple test of fairness by not unearthing the truth before making pronouncements. Even if they do not trust the Lagos State Government, they could have at least inquired about what happened from their son, who is a ranking member of the executive council of Lagos State,’’ APC said.
The party said Obi and his fellow travellers forgot that those who live in a glass house do not throw stones, hence they resorted to sensationalism and downright lies, first on the process leading to the home return, and then on the number of those involved and finally on the motive behind it.
‘’All those who consider the home return of 14 Anambra indigenes as a reflection of the Lagos State Government’s (and by extension the Yoruba’s) ill will toward the Igbo should consider the following facts:
•There was an exchange of correspondence dated 9th, 15th and 29th April 2013 between the Lagos State Government and Anambra State Government, through its Liaison Office in Lagos, about the ‘integration’ not ‘deportation’ of the 14 people.
•Anambra State Government did not respond to requests by Lagos State to come and validate/identify the people who claimed to have come from Anambra. Had it done so, this issue could have been better managed.
•Lagos State itself received notice from the Government of Akwa Ibom to come, identify and pick up two Lagos indigenes whom they picked up in a ‘lunatic clean up’ exercise in Uyo. Lagos responded promptly without making any noise about it.
•In December 2011, the same Anambra State Government that is now crying foul over the home return of Anambra indigenes arrested and repatriated 29 beggars to their home states in Ebonyi, another Igbo state, and Akwa Ibom. Then it was conveniently not ‘deportation’ but ‘repatriation’ and no tribal meanings were read to such action.
This information can be accessed here: http://leadership.ng/nga/articles/9600/2011/12/04/anambra_orders_arrest_child_beggars.html
•Also in 2011, Abia State Government sacked 3,000 non-indigenes (but fellow Igbo) from her work force and asked them to go back to their respective states, yet not even a whimper was heard from all those who are now raising hell over the ‘’deportation’’ of 14 Anambra indigenes from Lagos.
‘’If Obi’s logic is to be followed, then the government of Akwa Ibom, and the entire people of the state, harbour bad intentions toward Lagos State and the Yoruba by asking Lagos State to come and pick up two ‘vagrant psychotics’ identified as Lagosians who have been rehabilitated.
‘’Suffice it to say that these home returns have been going on for a long time among states, even within the same ethnic groups (as we pointed out above), and has never before elicited the kind of jaundiced interpretation that has been given to the return of 14 Anambra indigenes,’’ it said.
APC said it is also important to point out that this home returns are not limited to Nigeria. The US State of Hawaii has recently offered one-way tickets to homeless persons to return to their home states within the US, as part of the State’s efforts to take the burden off its welfare system. It is estimated that Hawaii’s ‘’return-to-home’’ programme will affect its 17,000 homeless residents. This information can be accessed here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2381732/Hawaii-sets-aside-100-000-offer-17-000-homeless-people-way-airfare-home-states.html
In the light of the above, the party asked Obi to apologise to the people of Nigeria for engaging in a blatant distortion of facts, making himself an agent of destabilization and sensationalizing what is not more than a routine issue, all because he wants to give a certain political party a bad name just to hang it, while at the same time feathering his own nest ahead of his state’s governorship election. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Crab!!!
ReplyDeleteFor the first time, I say KUDOS to Lai Mohammed for a job well done!!!
ReplyDeleteApc should call a spead a spead, Fashola dumped Fellow Nigerians in upper Iweka @ d wee hrs oF the morning and you people are here supporting him later you say Apc is not yoruba party. Mtcheeewwww
ReplyDeleteIf I was advising Gov. Fashola and his party, I'd encourage them to fire all cylinders, to put the heat on Gov. Obi with the singular aim to force him to apologise to not only Lagos State, Pressy GEJ, the generality of Nigerians, and Nigeria. He should be made to eat his own vomit!
ReplyDeleteLai mohammed you are becoming senile. How does this logic make sense to you? Does it make sense that an indigine of Nigeria is detained by KAI for close to 1 year and later deported? Why dump them at Onitsha? What shows that there was dialogue between the two states since, according to you, Anambra state never replied or acknowledged receipt of such letter? What is the fate of those who died in detention? I want to tell you people in APC that to join hands and fight a common enemy does not make you friends. So stop using people's life to play politics.
ReplyDeleteAPC & ACN are a very big treat to Nigerian unity. Violation of human right is now d order of d day.
ReplyDeleteNigerians,say 'NO' to evil and coruption, whatsoever that is bad is BAD!
If fashola knows that what he did is right,why should he dump them on top of Niger bridge and ran away. Acn and apc repent!
Lier Mohammed you are on fasting though i dont knw how serious your own fasting is,but i must tell you this issue is beyond politics,how could Fashola sent fellow Nigerians parking from Nigeria?this is not only bad it is unaceptable by every well meaning Nigeria excepting we have decided to tear this country apart,how could Fashola decide to send people back to their home by 3am?Dis is bad whether is political or not ACN has not done well,if this is how they want to rule Nigeria we dont need such,if is political why did Fashola decided to deport them during this electioneering time?Lier Mohammed this is your question
ReplyDeleteidiot....total rubbish.
ReplyDeletei dont blame him and lagos state though, i blame the Igbos tat wont make their states a better place to live, instead they flood to other locations to develop them
Igbos are dogmatic in thinking. They will rather go blind than open their eyes and brain to see the truth.
ReplyDeleteGovnr Obi lacks focus n wisdom to be a Govnr. Obi av destroyed d gd work Dr Ngige started in Anambra. We pray Inec wil conduct a crediable election n bein frm Anambra u can assure u dt PDP n APGA wil lose woefully. We waiting till Nov. Inec take note. Okorocha of Imo is right in his decision to leave APGA. APGA n Labour Party are tools in d hands of PDP,we all kn dt!
ReplyDeleteYou can say whatever you like as it did not occur to your Lagos governor that the Anambra state election was at the Conner before he dumped those Igbos at Onitsha . By the way who told you Obi was not doing his work in Anambra better than your Fashola in Lagos? Mind you Governor Obi is about finishing all the projects he started since his inception unlike your Governor who is cutting more than he can chew .
ReplyDeleteLai Mohammed or whatever you call yourself if you think Anambra state politics is a cup of tea come in play it . But before you stupidly dabble into it be wise ENOUGH to make inquiries from people who tried it the past .
ReplyDeleteFor God`s sake leave His Excellency Governor Peter Obi alone for he is a fine gentle man . He is not the kind of person or politician you are .
ReplyDeleteeveryone should mind their state. Every state collected allocation for the citizen development, so what is the issue of one Nigeria here? destitute is just like a crime to the community. shame of you OBI. instead of helping us in your state, u keep following JEG to play politics of bitterness. Lagosian has done us more good compared to any other states in the country. now you are trying to create disunity,,,right?
ReplyDeleteSadly enough , after all this u will still go and settle with the Lagosian, but what of the poor that you have loaded with hatred features around their hosts and neighbors... GOD is watching you ,,,OBI!
It doesn't make sense if you mask yourselves with anonymous,use foul language on others,speak wrong English,speak off point,make nonconstructive contributions. If you intend to really express your bitterness about an issue & u sincerely want to make a positive impact on pple in this forum. I suggest pple should start identifying themselves. The administrators of this forum should intensify their screening of posts published especially those who post incognito. Pple should stop trivialising serious issues by indiscriminate use of foul language. I hope those involved will do us all a favour, and take corrections. Peace be unto you all.
ReplyDelete