The Oba of Lagos, Rilwanu Akiolu, is reluctant to clear the air on
the anti-Igbo statements attributed to him on Sunday, BRAVEHEARTNAIJA can
report.
During
a courtesy visit by Eze Ndigbos (Igbo traditional rulers) in all the local
governments in Lagos at the Oba’s palace, Mr. Akiolu reportedly said that the
Igbos resident in Lagos should cast their votes for the
governorship
candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Akinwunmi Ambode, or perish inside
the lagoon.
BRAVEHEARTNAIJA reporters were not
at the event where Mr. Akiolu spoke. But repeated efforts by this newspaper to
reach the Lagos monarch on Monday for his reaction were unsuccessful.
When
this newspaper called the Oba on his mobile telephone on Monday morning, his
aide, who answered the call, said Mr. Akiolu was in a meeting and could not
immediately respond to the matter.
Our
reporter stressed the urgency of our enquiry and requested the aide to help
pass our message to the monarch without delay.
He
promised to do that after explaining that he (aide) was not competent to
confirm or deny what the Oba said at the event.
But
over two hours after our call, the Oba’s palace is yet to revert to us.
Subsequent phone calls to the monarch’s telephone lines were unanswered.
However,
four people, including a journalist, who were at the meeting at the Iga
Idunganran palace on Lagos Island confirmed to BRAVEHEARTNAIJA that
Mr. Akiolu indeed made the statements attributed to him.
One
of those who was at the meeting said that after Mr. Akiolu ended his diatribe
to the Igbo leaders, he walked out on them.
“When
he came down the stairs to meet with us, he was already vibrating with anger,”
said a source who preferred not to be named.
Gordian
Ojiako, Eze Ndi-Igbo in Amuwo-Oriade, confirmed the incident adding that Mr.
Akiolu said worse things to them before storming out of the room.
“It
will be wrong to challenge him inside his palace,” Mr. Ojiako told BRAVEHEARTNAIJA on
Monday, adding that he was not yet ready to speak to journalists on the matter.
“We
will go back and convene a meeting of Igbo stakeholders and respond to him
appropriately.”
Mr.
Akiolu had reportedly dared the Igbo chiefs to go against his wish in the
forthcoming governorship election and face his wrath.
“On
Saturday, if anyone of you goes against Ambode who I picked, that is your end.
If it doesn’t happen within seven days, just know that I am a bastard and it is
not my father who gave birth to me,” major national newspapers quoted the
monarch as saying.
“Jonathan
is my son and I speak to him everyday. By the grace of God, I am the owner of
Lagos for the time being. This is an undivided chair. The palace belongs to the
dead and those coming in the future.
“On
Saturday, if anyone of you, I swear in the name of God, goes against my wish
that Ambode will be the next governor of Lagos State, the person is going to
die inside this water.
Mr.
Ambode of the APC and Jimi Agbaje of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are the
two major contenders in the governorship election holding on April 11 across
the country.
Last
year, Mr. Akiolu had endorsed the candidature of Mr. Ambode, urging Lagosians
to cast their votes for him.
But
there are indications that the Igbos resident in Lagos will, like they did in
the presidential election, vote massively for the PDP.
In
the presidential election, the APC defeated the PDP by 160,000 votes, with a
huge chunk of the latter’s votes coming from Igbo dominated areas.
The
PDP also won three House of Representatives’ ticket in Lagos – all of them in
areas where the Igbos have a majority population.
Mr.
Akiolu reportedly said he would not beg the Igbos in Lagos to cast their votes
for the APC candidate.
“I’m
not ready to beg you. Nobody knew how I picked Ambode. Jimi (Agbaje) is my
blood relation and I told him that he cannot be governor in Lagos for now,” he
said.
“The
future belongs to God. I am not begging anybody, but what you people cannot do
in Onitsha, Aba or anywhere, don’t do it here. If you do what I want, Lagos
will continue to be prosperous for you. If you go against my wish, you will
perish in the water.”
The
monarch noted that Mr. Ambode would continue the progress and development of
the state.
“I am
for the progress, growth and development of Lagos. Ambode is highly cerebral,
he’s a symbol and he is going to deliver the message which I, the Oba of Lagos,
have said. And he will govern the state for another eight years,” he said.
“He
is going on a mission and God will give him the wisdom and knowledge to fulfill
that mission. Almost a year ago, I declared that Ambode will be the next
governor of Lagos and it will not change.
“From
time immemorial, the previous occupiers of this house will say what they wanted
after consultations with other people. And this hasn’t changed and it will not
change at this time.”
Mr.
Akiolu further said that Lagos is poised to regain all it had lost since
Independence, adding that Mr. Ambode’s administration would be a government of
progress.
“And
because of Ambode, I went to Mecca, Saudi Arabia and I gave all the groups
there $250, 000 to pray for Ambode. So how can I say something and some people
will go against it?”
“For
the Igbos and others in Lagos, they should go where the Oba of Lagos head to.
When they were coming to the state, they didn’t come with all their houses. But
now they have properties in the state. So they must do my bidding. And that is
the bidding of the ancestors of Lagos and God.”
Responding,
Mr. Ojiako promised Mr. Akiolu that the Igbos would support the APC in the
gubernatorial election in the state.
“The
mistake of last Saturday was caused by everybody, not only the Igbos. It is not
only the Igbos that were responsible for the votes. But we have learnt our
lesson. Saturday’s election is going to be a different thing and Ambode is
going to win,” Mr. Ojiako, who spoke on behalf of the Igbo Chiefs, reportedly
said.
“Everybody
knows that when you fail the first time, you cannot afford to fail again. We
are going to tell our people that Ezes from the 20 local governments and 37
local council development areas are here and that we have sworn with the Oba
that we are going to make sure that Ambode wins next Saturday’s election.”
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