Sarakigate: As Joe-Igbokwe Becomes Joe-Yorubakwe
The biggest news today in Nigeria is the allegation of false declaration of assets by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) against the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki. The alleged crime was committed in 2003 and consequently, the Code of Conduct Bureau has dragged Saraki before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT). Saraki’s inability or refusal to appear on Friday the 18th of September 2015 before the tribunal led to a bench warrant (arrest) issued on him.
However, upon his appearance on Tuesday the 22nd of September 2015, Saraki was granted bail on self recognition by the tribunal chairman, Mr Danladi Umar, after he pleaded not guilty to the 13 charges. The case has been adjourned till October 21, 22 and 23, 2015 for accelerated hearing.
As far as I am concerned, false declaration of assets is concrete corruption and anyone found guilty of this crime should be dealt with. Having pleaded “not guilty”, the onus is now on Senate President Bukola Saraki to prove and convince the tribunal and the public, that indeed he made no false declaration of Assets in 2003 as an elected Governor of Kwara State. Many writers in Nigeria have written on this matter, both those in support of Bukola Saraki and those against.
I am not here to take sides, but to express my displeasure on the actions and activities of the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Joe Igbokwe. This man who also parades himself as an activist, has thrown caution to the wind and wittingly usurped the functions of the National Publicity Secretary of APC, Mr. Lai Mohammed by issuing a press release (article) on behalf of the party and casting stones on the Senate President, even when the matter is before the Code of Conduct Tribunal. Joe Igbokwe did not end there; he also in his “ejaculatory outburst” threw hard stones at the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremmadu.
It is on record that Joe Igbokwe had been warned to desist from assaulting, insulting and attacking Igbo leaders if he has no cogent reason. In my article published across the globe few weeks ago and entitled, “JOE IGBOKWE: ENOUGH IS NOW ENOUGH”, I strongly warned him to match his brakes of insults on Igbo leaders. Unfortunately, this ‘’wasted sperm’’’ from URUAGU- OTOLO NNEWI in Anambra State has refused to hear. Rather, what he did was to write a personal letter and emailed me, wherein he described me as a “kerosene seller” while describing himself as an activist that has been swimming in the “Atlantic Ocean” in the last 30 years. However, I replied by warning him once again to not only stop insulting Igbo leaders but never to abuse any Nigerian leader without cogent reasons, promising that if he fails to adhere to my caution, I would not only bury him but would also deal ruthlessly with his sponsors.
Conversely, Joe Igbokwe’s unreasonable, idiotic, ‘’tinubunised’’ and ‘’yourabanised’’ attack on the Senate President and Deputy Senate President has opened the doors, windows and gates for me to lend my voice on the on-going imbroglio and of course to call some people to order in their in-ordinate ambition to control the National Assembly, so as to use it as a tool or platform to get at President Buhari and finally destabilize the country.
Not long ago, precisely three and half months ago, I wrote an article entitled “BOLA TINUBU: BEFORE YOU START THROWING STONES AT PRESIDENT BUHARI” (Please google) and which was published globally, I gave details on Bola Tinubu’s plot against this country. With what is happening to Saraki today, with the confusion at the APC leadership in the country such that Joe Igbokwe has usurped the functions of Lai Mohammed, with Buharis inability or refusal to send his list of “noise-makers” (Ministers) to the Senate for confirmation and with the September deadline given by Buhari now few days to expire; I make bold to say that I have been vindicated by that my article in question on Bola Tinubu.
Now let us look at the issues. Why has it taken the Code of Conduct Bureau 12 years to come up with their allegations against Saraki? From 1999 till date, there are about 18,650 declarations at the Code of Conduct Bureau. Is CCB telling us that out of 18650 declarations, only Saraki’s own is faulty? Even if it were so, did CCB at any time invite or draw Saraki’s attention to his alleged false declaration? Did they query him? If the Code of Conduct Bureau queried Bukola Saraki and he failed to respond, then dragging him before the tribunal is in order. But I doubt if any of these ever took place. If this is true, then his arraignment is incompetent and lacks merit, and infact can best be described as the corruption of anti-corruption war in Nigeria. Conversely, the Code of Conduct Bureau is today being viewed by many Nigerians with the same spectacle they are using to view the EFCC, Imo State police Command, Ogun State Police Command etc, as a rubber stamp agency acting only on the orders of a power hungry cartel. I am therefore throwing a challenge to the Code of Conduct Bureau to make public Asset declarations of office holders in this country since 1999. If this is done, then the Nigerian public will confirm the level of sincerity and honesty of the Code of Conduct Bureau in the trial of Bukola Saraki. I am not in any way trying to defend or protect the Senate President. No. I am only trying to prove that the Code of Conduct Bureau has converted itself to an attack dog. But then, Saraki must prove himself before Nigerians that he did not commit the said crime. Giving unnecessary excuses will not help. Also, hiding from one legal lacuna to the other will not help. I believe in justice. Pure and simple.
Nevertheless, I make bold to state that the trial, prosecution and persecution of Senate President Bukola Saraki is political. It is a witch hunt. It is the crazy attempt of the in-ordinate ambition of Bola Tinubu to control the National Assembly that is driving this insipid quest and zeal to strip Bukola Saraki stark naked. At least Joe Igbokwe with his ‘’tinubunised’’ mouth and hands confirmed it. Hear him……………” Senator Saraki ignored his party (APC) directives and connived with a useless party (PDP) we just defeated to steal the Senate Presidency. He did not stop there, the criminal arrangement led to the emergence of Senator Ekweremmadu of the PDP as the Deputy Senate President………………APC does not want Bukola Saraki as the Senate President and neither does APC want Ekweremmadu as the Deputy Senate President………………Now is the time for Saraki to go, Saraki has no choice than to go, otherwise he will have himself to blame. Again if Bukola Saraki feels his hands are glued to the exalted seat of the Senate Presidency and therefore cannot be removed, APC may be compelled to tear or cut his hands off, so that the National Assembly can move forward”…… Unquote. That was Joe Igbokwe speaking the mind of Bola Tinubu, and at the same time usurping the authority of Mr. Lai Mohammed.
If APC is truly progressive, it should without further delay suspend Joe Igbokwe for impersonating both the National Chairman and the National Publicity Secretary. If APC is truly progressive, it should rise to the occasion to disown and denounce Joe Igbokwe’s statement. I repeat, the National Publicity Secretary of APC, Mr. Lai Mohammed, should as a matter of national importance, and in protecting the integrity and credibility of the party denounce Joe Igokwe’s press release (article) which was published in National newspapers, and social media networks. The National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun should urgently suspend Joe Igbokwe.
Conversely, following Joe Igbokwe’s mind set, I state as follows……………” It is a notorious fact that Rt. Hon. Tambuwal ignored his then party (PDP) directives and connived with a useless party (ACN which later became APC) that was defeated in 2011, to steal the speakership position. He did not stop there, the criminal arrangement led to the emergence of Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha as the Deputy Speaker”.
Speaker Tambuwal later joined APC, retained his position while my brother, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha remained in the PDP and also retained his position. Bola Tinubu who provided the platform for the “Criminal Arrangement” in 2011 hailed it as the beauty of democracy. Joe Igbokwe even wrote an article then, describing the “Criminal Arrangement” as the independence of the legislature. Lai Mohammed granted a world press conference and described the ‘’Criminal Arrangement’’ as a welcome development that would surely strengthen democracy.
Now that the chicken has come home to roost and the 8th Senate in its wisdom has decided to further strengthen the independence of the legislature by electing Senator Bukola Saraki as President and Senator Ike Ekweremmadu as Deputy President without any outside interference, Bola Tinubu, Joe Igbokwe and their cohorts are now threatening the life of the Senate President. They have now concluded “Criminal Arrangement to tear or cut off Saraki’s hands so that the National Assembly can move forward.” And I ask: could this be the reason perhaps why Mr. Funso Williams was brutally murdered in 2003 so that Lagos State could move forward? Could this be the reason why President Buhari is yet (reportedly being frustrated) to send his list of noise makers to the National Assembly (Senate) for confirmation? Could this be the reason why Bola Tinubu visited President Buhari twice within a space of 3 weeks?
President Buhari must know that once Bola Tinubu gains control of the National Assembly, he will be in trouble. Speaker Yakubu Dogara must not go to sleep at all, because the “Presidential Guard”’ who is also the House leader is Tinubu’s boy and is waiting in the wings to strike. Tinubu controls a reasonable percentage of the media. He controls the party in power. He has massive war chest. His ‘’Commissioner Boy’’ is the Vice-President and he is also waiting in the wings. With all these permutations in Tinubu’s back pocket, Buhari might be impeached, forced to resign, tricked to throw in the towel, manipulated to step down on health grounds, perhaps “poisoned” etc. If any of these is achieved (TUFIAKWA, MAY ALMIGHTY GOD FORBID), Bola Tinubu ultimately becomes the Al-Capone and Nigeria will then be confiscated the way Lagos State is reportedly confiscated.
Joe Igbokwe who does not see beyond what Tinubu sees, stated in his press release that……… “APC does not want Bukola Saraki as Senate President and neither does APC want Ike Ekweremmadu as the Deputy Senate President” . Yet the same Bola Tinubu, Joe Igbokwe and their cohorts insisted not long ago that the independence of the legislature was what the country needed to move forward. Why then speak from both sides of the mouth at the same time?
It should be noted that the Igbo has suffered enough in this country. The Igbo and South East has remained the only region in this country that is yet to have representation at the national level apart from the position of Deputy Senate President (or Presidency). Today an Igboman (Joe Igbokwe) is being used by a Yoruba man to scuttle the only position that came to the South East. An Igboman (Joe Igbokwe) is the attack dog of a Yoruba political merchant, whose aim is to further push the South East into political oblivion and out of power equation. An Igboman (Joe Igbokwe) is being used by a Yoruba political godfather to destabilize the ruling party, APC by causing avoidable confusion and anarchy. An Igboman (Joe Igbokwe) is being used by a Yoruba man to undermine the person and personality of the Senate President and Deputy Senate President, as part of their script to pull down the legislative arm of government, if they fail to achieve their stated plans.
As Sarakigate continues to generate ripples across the country and beyond, I condemn in its entirety the unpatriotic actions, activities, vituperations and threats of Mr. Joe Igbokwe, who is a runaway Igboman hiding somewhere in Lagos State and doing the biddings of Mr. Bola Tinubu, which is the continued political “malignment”, “enslavement,” betrayal and sabotage of the Igbo nation in this country. O yes, Joe Igbokwe is a saboteur and no longer worthy to be called an Igboman. He is even ashamed of his tribe.
Since he is ashamed of being addressed as an Igboman, he is no longer to be called Joe Igbokwe but JOE YORUBAKWE. The public should please take note.
I rest my pen
Citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha
Former Senior Special Assistant on Media
Immediate Past Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties.
Imo State House of Assembly
07032934037.
25th September, 2015.
Forwarded to over 3.2 Million Email addresses worldwide.
Follow me on facebook @ Citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha.