APC vows to rule Lagos for 35 more years

In an interview with Eniola Akinkuotu of the Punch Newspaper, the Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos State, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, talks about political issues in the state.
Excerpts from the interview below;
The Peoples Democratic Party has described as fraudulent, the court ruling which reaffirmed Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s victory at the poll. Is it true that your party bribed the judiciary? 

"Did the PDP have any evidence to present before the tribunal in the first place? Are they saying they won the election? Are they newcomers in Lagos? Were they even on the ground in the first place? Yes, they worked hard to win Lagos with the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme fraud which they used in manipulating unemployed youths. Money was extorted from the youths and they are worse off today. We saw the PDP using an outlawed organisation like the Oodua People’s Congress, among others. We saw them tearing our posters and damaging billboards. We saw their contestants in Alimosho and Agege brandishing guns and shooting. This was their hard work. We saw the money that former President Goodluck Jonathan brought to Lagos when he relocated here briefly before the elections. He gave out dollars and pounds. So, these were the things they did to win Lagos. Politics goes beyond this. Lagos PDP thought Jonathan would win and after winning, they would use soldiers and the police to intimidate us and chase us out but when Jonathan lost, even my kinsmen, who were supporting the PDP before, started running to Bourdillon (Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s home). So, the PDP is not being truthful. If Jonathan had won that election, the OPC would have taken over. God, in his infinite mercies, helped us. Now, the PDP has lost Abuja and has also lost Lagos and that is why they are throwing tantrums. We in the Lagos APC are even angry that the PDP came so close to defeating us in the last election but we will never allow this again. We will rule them for the next 30 to 35 years because the people of Lagos will be impressed with our hard work". He said 

The APC had said that if Lagos and the Federal Government were controlled by the same party, there would be unprecedented change. Now that there is a crisis in the party due to the National Assembly issue, will the party be able to deliver on its numerous promises in Lagos? 

"Problems are part of life. What happens in everyday business depends on what you do in the morning. Would you expect the PDP to go down without a fight? We knew that the PDP would try to pull us down. But we will overcome what is happening at the National Assembly. How can a member of the APC sell out his party for the Senate Presidency? How could he collude with our enemies? Of course, we will not allow him get away with such shenanigans? We will not allow it to stand. So, we believe it is right that we get things right from the outset. So, we are trying to deal with this challenge. Once Senator Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu are out, we will be able to get things running and Lagos will definitely benefit from the Federal Government. It is good for Lagos to be aligned with the centre because it needs special attention. It is the place where 80 per cent of tertiary institution graduates from across the country come to".

Read Full interview here