Joe Igbokwe is the Interim Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State. He tells Senior Correspondent, ISHAYA IBRAHIM that the new political reality in the country is that the Peoples Democratic Party has ceased to become a ruling party. Excerpts:

Your party now has majority members in the House of Representatives with the defection of 37 PDP members to the All Progressives Congress. Is this for real?

The new reality on ground or the new political equation in the country tells you that PDP is now in the opposition. And this thing did not start today. If you ask Yorubas they will tell you ko kin se ise ijokan. It’s not a day’s job. It’s a plan that started about five, six, seven years ago. That it is coming to reality now, people should not think it started today. It’s a carefully planned project, just to help the people of Nigeria to move because, we feel that anybody that is privileged to go to school must add values to the society. And leaders of APC are doing what is expected of them to do when a nation is in crisis. If we don’t remove bad leaders, we will continue to suffer the rules of idiots. That is what is happening. Things will never be the same again.

But, you are still in the minority in the Senate?

Things will come. Things will be coming gradually. What is happening is a silent revolution, a bloodless one for that matter. Something you would not have achieved normally… For you to fight a cabal like PDP, you need to carry guns. But, this one is a carefully planned revolution. Because we are saying that if we cannot do this, then there is noting to handover to our children. We have a better idea of how to govern Nigeria. If you go to the states APC is controlling now, you will see changes; you will know that these people understand what governance is all about. This is what we want to give Nigeria. Governance is not rocket science. It’s about ideas.

Now that you have slight majority in the House of Representatives, are we likely to see any difference in terms of the quality of legislative business?

That is what you will see. You will see development of the mind, development of infrastructure, development of Nigeria. Nigeria has become a laughing stock in the comity of nations. You will see a lot of changes. The issue of security, institutions are down. We want to rebuild. If you come into APC, we will handover our template to you, what we believe in. it’s a party of ideas. That is just the summary.

Would this new political calculation not cause friction in terms of passage of bills emanating from the executive? Would your party not want to flex muscles?

There will be a problem until 2015 when we will push PDP aside and put our own man there, the person that understands what we want to do. The political equation you are seeing now, there will be a problem. If we want to help PDP, we will help them. Just to take the bull out of the China shop. Between now and 2015, we will just manage to take the bull out of the China shop. The man is going. He has to go. So, we will just have to manage the executive until 2015 when we will put our own man there and then we will work out the ways.

So one can say that your party is now a national party?

Yes. It is a product of hard work. It’s a product of consistency. It’s a product of people fighting for what they believe in, a product of hard work, a product of commitment. When you look at what is happening today, you will think that…people gave up positions; people gave up what they have been standing on for years. People gave out time, made sacrifices, and gave money, to make sure we get to where we are today. It’s not a day’s job. I told you.

Is your party also prepared to confront the elite crisis that would befall your party as a result of these new entrants?

If we have managed to deal with the challenges of the merger, we will overcome every obstacle by the grace of God. I just know that we want to change the course of this nation.

http://dailyindependentnig.com/2013/12/jonathan-will-leave-2015-igbokwe/

Ngene-Ukwenu:
This APC aren't smiling

Goddex: [size=16pt]Joe Igbokwe can keep bragging. In politics bragging is allowed but the last I checked . . .

1) PDP still controls 18 states while APC 16

2) The LP state of Ondo and APGA Anambra are in an informal alliance with
PDP and will likely work for the PDP

3) Accord party too is in working alliance with PDP

4) I can bet, the Senate will never go the way of APC but I know they may succeed in widening it's slim lead in the House of Reps

5) In summary, PDP still remains the party to beat
[/size]

ilugunboy: Efulefu crew will soon gather on this thread....

Goddex: [size=16pt]Joe Igbokwe can keep bragging. In politics bragging is allowed but the last I checked . . .

1) PDP still controls 18 states while APC 16

2) The LP state of Ondo and APGA Anambra are in an informal alliance with
PDP and will likely work for the PDP

3) Accord party too is in working alliance with PDP

4) I can bet, the Senate will never go the way of APC but I know they may succeed in widening it's slim lead in the House of Reps

5) In summary, PDP still remains the party to beat
[/size]

you forgot Apc will never be registered

ilugunboy: Efulefu crew will soon gather on this thread....

c0llynz02: Joe Yorubakwe.
Even in that article, he gave a proverb in Yoruba language. That man is completely lost!

He is a Yoruba man,we think logically and not irrationally like our brothers over their ------>

mascot87:
He is a Yoruba man,we think logically and not irrationally like our brothers over their ------>

berem: Efulefu is an understatement. They will say he was fathered by a Yoruba man or he's an Igbo wannabe.

ilugunboy:


The truth is there are many Igbos on NL like Joe Igbokwe who thinks out of the box and away from the mainstream political sentiment of their people....but they are too scared to comment here for the fear of being called names.

ilugunboy:


The truth is there are many Igbos on NL like Joe Igbokwe who thinks out of the box and away from the mainstream political sentiment of their people.... but they are too scared to comment here for the fear of being called names.

c0llynz02: Joe Yorubakwe.
Even in that article, he gave a proverb in Yoruba language. That man is completely lost!

rasojie: APC. Come 2015 you will have my vote. I will fight, even if it comes to paying the ultimate price to see change in 2015. I have been hearing stories on how the rig at the poling booth.
I have never been to the polling booth, now I have attained the legal age to have a voters card, I swear I will use it for change. The destiny Of our country lies in our Hand.


I am convinced that this is the change I have been dreaming about, Progressive we stand!!!

ilugunboy: Efulefu crew will soon gather on this thread....

u.cyril:
Joe igbokwe,we no u're a bloody sabotuer in igboland. be properly guided