Daily Independent (Lagos)
Rafiu Ajakaye And Olisemeka Obeche
23 December 2008
Lagos — Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was an affliction to Nigeria who took the country eight years back into underdevelopment when other nations were making waves in varied human endeavours, Chris Ngige has said.
Ngige, formerly of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ruled Anambra between May 29, 2003 and March 15, 2006 before the Court of Appeal annulled his election based on the petition by All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate and incumbent Governor Peter Obi.
"Obasanjo is an affliction to Nigeria. He took us eight years back; as other people were moving forward, he was dragging us backward. So, we have lost about 16 years, we are still in 1995 by all standards, not 2008 because of Obasanjo's eight years misrule. That is the truth," said Ngige, whose brush with the PDP hawks and performance as impostor-governor brought him fame nationwide.
"How many African states still experience power outages in their country? Ghana, Ivory Coast and even Togo all have stable power supply and stable economy. When I was the chairman of the South East Economic Governors' Forum, I told them we must do what is called interstate roads for regional co-operation and economic development; and that informed the construction of that Umunze, Ogbunka road terminating at Isuochi (Abia State). That also informed the Awka, Nimo, Neni through Awka-Etiti down to Isekke at the border with Imo state; and others.
"Once that is allowed to take place, we are already creating a sort of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) set up where a lot of good things could be done: like rail transportation and mineral exploration which are bound in most parts of the state and the South East."
Ngige said he contested the governorship election in 2007 to thwart Obasanjo's plot to impose Andy Uba, the PDP governorship candidate whose purported electoral victory was quashed by the Supreme Court for lack of vacancy. The apex court held that Obi's tenure began on March 15, 2006 and would lapse in 2010 when fresh governorship poll would hold in Anambra.
His words: "Andy Uba contested the seat of Anambra State governor in 2007. He was to receive the state as a gift from his political father, Olusegun Obasanjo, for having served him well with good things; good foods and other domestic chores and he decided to reward him with the governorship of a state. And, unfortunately, he didn't take him to Ogun State, but to Anambra, my own state; so I said no, it is not going to happen.
"As I was watching them in my house in Maryland, United States, as they were cruising at Awka, I quickly went into my room and packed my luggage and took the next flight back to Nigeria. I didn't tell my relatives who were with me in America; and when I landed in Lagos, I went straight by road to Awka. While they were still looking for me at the airport because they don't want me to enter Awka, I used so many means to get there, including canoe.
"Immediately they saw me, they changed their tactics and they decided to exclude my name from the ballot paper and I challenged that at the court and the court told INEC to include my name. But, when they found out that it was not enough to nail me, they went back and brought all sorts of excuses that I am not a registered voter and that my affidavit was sworn in America, but the court told them that oath is oath. That, if not, those that wedded in American courts should have been subjected to another court wedding on arrival in Nigeria. So, I told the court that I satisfied all the four conditions listed in the constitution for being eligible to contest for governorship election. "I told them that I am a Nigerian by birth and that I am educated up to a certificate level; I am contesting under the platform of the Action Congress (AC) and that I was well over 35 years of age, officially declared by the constitution, which means, I was overqualified age-wise. So, the court told INEC to include my name on the ballot papers but they still refused and went to an appeal court. And this was INEC, an umpire, trying to stop one man."
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