Protest: LP carpets APC chieftain, Igbokwe over alleged plan to implicate members

By Jude Opara, Abuja

The Lagos state chapter of the Labour Party (LP) has taken a swipe at a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, Chief Joe Igbokwe over his alleged plots to link members of the party to the planned nationwide protests over the rising cost of living in the country.
The LP in a statement on Thursday by its Lagos State Publicity Secretary, Olubunmi Odesanya said Igbokwe who was in-charge of sanitization was only attempting to use his attacks on the party warm his way back to the government of Lagos state to see if he could be reconsidered for another appointment.
Odesanya said Igbokwe had in a statement captioned; “”An Honest Advice For Igbo Across Nigeria Especially Lagos”* warned against the consequences of the planned protest, likening it to the ENDSARS protest of October 2020 and referring to the protesters as bandits.
“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”*, insisting that it is very curious and equally worrisome that Igbokwe will, suddenly rise up to claim of seeing 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 the 2012 protest was against fuel price hike but what we have on our hands 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”.

The LP advised its members across the country to be very careful of what they do, adding that they must remain law abiding while going about their legitimate duties to avoid being target of the APC government.

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