Chief Anselem Njoku, is the patron of Igbo Market Women, Lagos State. He is also the Akeweje of Alausa Ikeja, Lagos. In this interview with The Unique Model magazine, he justifies his choice of the candidacy of Asiwaju and governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for president and governor of Lagos state respectively in the forthcoming general elections. According to him, politics is about who you can feel and touch.
Can you introduce yourself for the records?
I am Chief Anselem Njoku, the Akeweje of Alausa Ikeja, Lagos and also the patron of Igbo Market Women, Lagos State.
What is the purpose of today’s gathering and how do you feel?
I am highly delighted with the gathering, these women have come to celebrate their 10th anniversary and they have gathered here too, to tell everybody that the Lagos state we are saying Asiwaju was the person who made Lagos state what it is today and there is no doubt about it. And he made successive governors in Lagos to follow the template he had already built and Lagos is the safest state not only in Nigeria but in West Africa today. We should not forget the saying in Igbo that “Ebe Onye nu ka Ona Wachi.”
So they have also come to say Hon. Asiwaju we stand, and I concur with them, we are good and happy here today.
Can you reflect on some unique things Asiwaju did in Lagos for which you believe he stands out as a presidential candidate for the 2023 election?
As a detribalized leader, he was the first governor in Nigeria to appoint people from other ethnic groups to enter government and he has also maintained that with the other successive governors in Lagos State after him. If you look at 1999 when he became governor of Lagos State, look at all the governors of Nigeria who are still standing today more than Asiwaju? He is always there. He had also empowered people, he had made people, if you look at Asiwaju, some people say he is rich, yes! He must be rich, nobody has laid the type of egg he had laid, fertilised them and multiple them. So I call him a hunter who goes into the bush to hunt, kills so many animals and brings for his children and the children are growing fat, so tell me who can stand against that man? So he has done a lot.
Looking at what is going on here today, what message do you have for the women especially those that are not here?
We have over 2000 women here today, they are going to educate others and they must learn, they must learn, yes!
Looking at the election which is very close, what do you foresee in the 2023 election?
You see, I am a politician, I am a practical politician, so, if you look at the actual voters, that is going to vote on this election, I want to tell you, Asiwaju is going to emerge as the best president of Nigeria. And in Lagos State, Sanwo-Olu is governor for all, even people in other parties they have to vote for him because he has done so well. An Igbo man stays many years in Lagos, only goes home briefly during festive period and comes back to Lagos because of his business, so they must vote for people that made Lagos, Asiwaju and Sanwo-Olu and other APC members contesting for election.
Which party do you think will win highest this election?
From all empirical analysis, APC has taken over the coming election.
What advice do you have for your people especially Igbos here in Lagos State who does not believe in your party, can you convince them?
My advice for the Igbo in Lagos is that we are in Lagos and Lagos has secured us, up till now, it is from Lagos that we have made our wealth, we have trained our children we gave birth to here, we trained them here and they have not been antagonistic to us, they are taking care of us, so this is the time to reciprocate their kind gesture because this is the time we should elevate Bola Tinubu on the ballot box by voting for him en-masse. So that is my advice.
Sir, I can see some Eze Ndigbo representing different Local Governments indicating that top leaders of Ohanaeze are here, what plan do you have to extend your message to other states because if only Lagos votes for Tinubu, he cannot win?
There is plan to extend the message because we have delegated people to go to the East and talk to them, remember a town hall meeting we held for Asiwaju in Owerri, that was around October/ November last year at Owerri, where an Igbo man donated money for Tinubu campaign. So the message in going through the South by all the Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Seven Ohanaeze states, Imo, Anambra, Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi, Delta and Rivers. Ohanaeze Lagos President, High Chief Ossai is seated at this occasion for Lagos State.
High Chief, but an Igbo man is contesting as president, why are you supporting Asiwaju a Yoruba man?
So yes, of course an Igboman is contesting, Peter Obi, I can’t say he is not a good person but the issue is that politics is about who you can see and touch, we are seeing Asiwaju and we are touching him so that is my stand.
Is Ohanaeze APC?
Ohanaeze is not political but they can say we are supporting so.. so person. On the day of election, Ohanaeze president will vote and all Ohanaeze members will vote. There is going to be a mega rally that Igbos are planning that very soon you will see Ohanaeze, Igbo Speaking Community, you will see the several town unions, you will see market leaders, you will see women and other organizations of Igbo extraction, they are going to speak very soon for Tinubu to be a president.
What level of Ohanaeze?
We in Lagos State cannot speak for Ohanaeze National, so Ohanaeze National will speak for themselves. But those of us who are in Ohanaeze in Lagos, we are seeing and voting for Asiwaju, his goodwill is spreading and we are also seeing and touching the governor. The government has been supportive for Ohanaeze.
In today’s programme, governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu supported, so we are speaking for our people in Lagos State, others will speak for themselves. Remember that most Igbos living in Lagos state controls their home towns.
Lagos people control their towns or villages, if anything happens, they will always say ‘let’s wait for the Lagos people to give their opinion, likewise election, people in Lagos can control people in the villages.
Some people have preference for other presidential candidates but Babajide Sanwo – Olu for governor, what is your take on that decision? What plans do you have to sensitize them to vote for all APC members?
There is no Sanwo-Olu without Asiwaju, Sanwo-Olu is Asiwaju’s product, if somebody has a good product, and you are supporting the good product, therefore you are supporting the producer of the product. And that is why we are saying ‘if some people are bias about it, we are here to call them to order to vote for all APC candidates. And they must listen to us. Thank you.