By Destiny Day
Ahead of the Governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections scheduled to hold on Saturday, March 9, 2019, the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has intensified his plot against Ndigbo living in Lagos State, TheNiche can authoritatively report.
The APC chieftain is said to be angry that Ndigbo in Lagos seem to be supporting the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and has vowed to teach them a lesson.
During the February 23 Presidential and National Assembly polls, political thugs who were shouting Tinubu’s name disrupted voting in some areas in Lagos where the Igbo have significant population.
One person was feared killed as suspected thugs disrupted voting at the Last Bus stop area of Ago Palace way, Okota
Trouble started midway into the voting process which began at about 10 a.m. when a group of political thugs arrived at the polling centre insisting that it was either the voters vote for APC or the voting would not go on. But sensing that their directive won’t be obeyed, they started manhandling those on the queue, seized the ballot boxes and burnt them with votes already cast.
Eye witnesses said the hoodlums came in about 10 motorcycles and forcefully dispersed voters, INEC officials and security operatives with weapons.
The elections did not hold in some polling units as a result of the incident.
The voters fled for their lives as the hoodlums unleashed mayhem on the area.
At the various polling units across Oshodi Isolo and Alimosho Local Government Areas, the late arrival of INEC officials delayed the commencement of the polls.
Most of the polling units had one complaint or the other regarding the conduct of the election.
But despite the deliberate disenfranchisement of the Igbo population in Lagos, APC and PDP almost ran neck and neck with Buhari polling 580,814 votes against Atiku’s 448,016 votes.
TheNiche gathered that the result rattled Tinubu and members of his kitchen cabinet who agreed that unless something drastic was done, the APC may lose the governorship poll on March 9.
Our source disclosed that the decision to unleash thugs on Ndigbo was taken at a meeting called to review the presidential poll and map out strategy for the March 9 elections.
On Monday, the thugs went to the popular Oshodi market to attack the traders and destroy their wares.
On Wednesday, the miscreants, armed with dangerous weapons like cutlasses, broken bottles and knives struck at the Oluwole, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tinubu, Bamgbose and Alli Street markets on the Island, beating Igbo traders and destroying their wares worth millions of Naira.
They warned the traders to either do their political bidding or go back to their states in the Southeast because “this is Lagos.”
“We campaigned for them to vote for Buhari but they refused and voted for Atiku. They cannot come here to do business again. They must follow us to vote whoever we ask them to vote for. This is just a sample for them, if they ever vote for PDP again, that will be their end,” the hoodlums threatened.
That strategy seems to have failed. But TheNiche can authoritatively report that a new scheme by been devised to ensure that the Igbo stay away from the ballot on March 9.
The new game plan is to slam them with fictitious tax default claims.
A source who was at another meeting held on Thursday but who pleaded anonymity narrated the plot to TheNiche.
“Plans have been concluded to target Igbo businessmen in Lagos with bogus tax claims. They have sent out agents to all the local government areas in Lagos to identify businesses run by Ndigbo.
“Starting from next week unless something happens, the idea is to compile tax default both real and imagined and the letters will be placed on the business premises with notices that they should come and pay within two days or have those premises shut down indefinitely.
“The idea is to frighten and subdue them but where that does not work, to cripple them economically.
“It is an elaborate plot. Watch and see what will happen next week.”
But some Igbo traders who spoke to TheNiche said they were prepared for the worst.
“We are prepared. Let them do their worse but we will vote on March 9,” said an Igbo trader at Oshodi market who also pleaded anonymity.
Attempts to speak with Tinubu’s media aide, Mr. Tunde Rahman, failed as calls to his mobile phone did not go through.
