The Desperate Haymaker: Joe Igbokwe’s Pathetic Last Swing in a Career Built on Betrayal
In the murky waters of Nigerian politics, few figures embody opportunistic sycophancy quite like Joe Igbokwe. For years, this self-styled APC chieftain from Anambra State has made a career out of throwing his own Igbo kinsmen under the bus—unwarranted, unprovoked, and often for no reason beyond currying favor with power brokers in Lagos and Abuja. His latest outburst, a vicious and baseless attack on Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, is nothing more than the desperate haymaker of a dying political career—a frantic, flailing punch from a frustrated man grasping at straws for relevance and reward under President Bola Tinubu.
Just days ago, as Tinubu’s latest batch of ambassadorial nominees was confirmed by the Senate (with names like Reno Omokri making the cut while loyal attack dogs like Igbokwe were conspicuously absent), reports emerged of Igbokwe’s quiet lament. He admitted to pouring “so much effort” into the APC, explicitly hoping for an ambassadorial slot, only to be overlooked—again. Leaving it “in God’s hands,” he said. But God’s hands apparently weren’t enough; now, in a transparent bid to catch Tinubu’s eye one last time, Igbokwe has unleashed a torrent of accusations against Senator Abaribe, labeling him a sponsor of IPOB, ESN, UGM, and even the “father” of violence in the South East. He declared this Abaribe’s “last chance” in the Senate, as if a Lagos-based political jobber from Anambra has any moral authority to dictate political fates in Abia.
This is classic Igbokwe: lashing out at respected Igbo leaders who dare criticize the federal government, all while positioning himself as the “loyal” one worthy of crumbs from the master’s table. But Nigerians see through the game. Even Tinubu, the very man he’s desperately trying to impress, knows it for what it is—a cheap, unintelligent jab from a serial attention-seeker.
Back home in Igbo land, and even in his own village in Nnewi, Igbokwe is widely regarded as an efulefu—a worthless, spineless traitor who sells out his people for personal gain. His words carry no weight, yet he flings them wildly like a desperate haymaker, hoping one might land. Under previous administrations and now Tinubu’s, he has begged for every Tom, Dick, and Harry position: Special Adviser on Drainage and Water Resources in Lagos (a role that earned him endless mockery as the “gutter man”), and now chasing ambassadorial glory that never comes. When will he learn that loyalty bought with betrayal is never truly rewarded?
Contrast this with Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe—a solid, principled politician deeply rooted in his Abia South district. Abaribe has consistently spoken truth to power, defending democratic values and the interests of his people without selling out. He doesn’t need to throw wild punches at fellow Igbos to prove loyalty; his track record speaks for itself. A nonlogical, frustrated rant from a political jobber like Igbokwe won’t dent him. Abaribe is going nowhere—Igbokwe’s “last chance” prophecy is just projection from a man whose own chances evaporated long ago.
Joe Igbokwe, it’s time to face reality. Go back to Anambra and clean the gutters there if that’s your expertise—your own state could use the help more than the national stage needs your unpatriotic antics. Nigerians, especially Ndigbo, are weary of your kind: the unpatriotic political jobbers who undermine their own for fleeting favors that never materialize. Your haymaker missed by a mile. It’s over. Sit this one out.
