The Need To Re-elect Ngige

The joys of many across Nigeria were cut short on March 15 2006 when an Appeal Court ruled against Governor Chris Ngige, now ex-Governor of Anambra State, in favour of the incumbent Mr. Peter Obi. Then, one Chris Uba was a thorn in the neck of Ngige, the later as alleged was the political son of the former, even that the later was older than the former.

Not acceding to the plea-bargain of Uba after Ngige had ascended throne as governor, nearly left Anambra State in shreds, as Uba was playing the script of the Owu-generalissimo, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, with the influence of his brother, Mr. Andy Uba, who parades himself as a “Dr.” Andy was a Special Assistant to Obasanjo during the eight years of Obasanjo locust.

The Ubas held Anambra State captive, even Ugochukwu Uba, who was then a senator, entered his leg in one shoe with his brothers, when the unashamed master of election rigging called the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), put on Andy its flag as the party's gubernatorial flag bearer of that State in the 2007 elections. Ugochukwu thought that it was a family meeting, he was angry that how come about that his younger brother was made the PDP flag bearer whereas he is the first son of the family. There was face-off then among the brothers. Who knows if they have reconciled now?

Notwithstanding the name anyone in Anambra State, most especially those in the Obi-led Government House might be calling Dr. Chris Ngige, one thing remains sacrosanct about Ngige in Anambra: Ngige liberated the state from the hands of godfathers and godmothers who had raped the state of its financial endowment – to their self-aggrandizement.

Many guns and arrows were projected against Ngige while fighting these cabals but he surmounted them all. And today, it seems that all the projections of the 'evil' ones against Ngige have ricocheted to them. The (in) famous Chris Uba was whisked away by the State Security Service men from Abuja before the election of 2007 that saw the usurper Andy Uba as governor of the state and was disgraced out by a court ruling in favour of Obi on the June 14 2007. You may call Andy Uba a 17 day governor while his deceivers call him “governor in waiting”.

But if there is any such portfolio as “governor in waiting” that portfolio should then go to Ngige, who is the leader of the strongest opposition party in Nigeria, Action Congress (AC), in Anambra State.

Being a man of action, Dr. Ngige knew the pressing need of his people –road – and he constructed and reconstructed roads in the state, when he was governor that the accolades that follow him anywhere he went in Anambra State or wherever Anambra people gathered is – “Onwa! Onwa!! Onwa!!!” This, to the people of Anambra State, is that Ngige is the light that the Abanbrarians can see through – for the economic, social and political upliftment of Anambra State.

While this lasted, it's perturbing that the Governor Obi-led government of Anambra State has discredited Ngige, or it is trying to discredit Ngige, the meritorious dignity his people have conferred on Ngige by raging a media was against the Onwa, just because he had interest in the state's 2010 gubernatorial election.

It is perturbing that Obi who parades himself as a staunch Catholic, his aides and employers, hardly direct anyone that came to the State's government house looking for Ngige where Ngige could be contacted, Ngige been a governor of that state.

As one time governor of Anambra State, Ngige deserves respect, and a lot of his international associates who do not have his contact might be contacting the Anambra State Government-led by Obi for direction, not knowing that Obi was just a newspapers “Born-again Christian”, because it is imperative that Obi still bears grudges for Ngige, of what only Obi knows is the problem. Suffice it to say that it is politics.

But this politics is not good for a man like Obi who employs catholic priests and bishops to pray for him and even export himself to meet who-is-who in the Catholic, at the Vatican, known to be the bedrock of the Catholic Church the world over – for prayers.

However, anyone has the right to say he is this or that, afterall, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo professed born-again Christian. But Nigerians were shocked by the level of political killings Nigeria recorded in his administration. Nigerians are yet to recover from the muddy waters of shame he threw Nigeria and Nigerians into for a good number of fruitless eight years he was president. Obasanjo was yet to explicate democracy from farming.

And that 'Born-again' is what Obi wants Nigerians to believe he is by the publicity he is giving himself about his faith. But yet, his administration don't want to hear the name “Dr. Chris Ngige”.

Notwithstanding any false angle the Obi-led administration wants to rubbish the good works Ngige did in Anambra State, Anambra people still believe that they can't be eating poisoned kola because Obi was the one giving it to them and they are receiving ovation.

From the rancour still gong on in Obi's ruling APGA is only a test-tube of how inefficient Obi is to handle the affairs of his state government if Chekwas Okoria on the other hand is claiming to be the authentic national chairman of the party while the stooge known as Victor Umeh is spending money on the media to still be recognized as the rightful chairman of Anambra chapter of APGA. What a bizarre!

But, this, perhaps, couldn't have happened when Ngige was governor under the platform of the PDP because Ngige came to liberate his people from the age-long slavery in the hands of the Emeka Offors and the Chris Ubas, and not to lock brothers horns in a war because of the quest for a second term in office, just as Obi is doing. Does a born-again Christian cause controversy?

The rather controversial Peter Obi reportedly told a large gathering of his party members recently that he would be going for a second term if nominated through due process by APGA. But while making his statement, he forgot that there is no “due process” in the process of the chairmanship of APGA in Anambra State he is the leader.

Anyway, many people couldn't have known the backbiting administration Obi is running in Anambra State if a Charles Amilo didn't open a Pandora box. Amilo tore to shreds the Victor Umeh's unguided views against Ngige recently. But political watchers gaped when an illicit APGA party chairman like Umeh became the Commissioner of Information of Anambra, that he was doing the work of the Information Ministry.

Hear Amilo: “The most disheartening thing about the present Obi administration is that the government is just feeding the public with lies. They are making so much noise about things that are not anywhere in the state. But they forgot that governance is not about noise making, it is about action. Once the people see action, and the people are seeing what the government is doing in developmental projects, with economic friendly policies, and cordial relationship that exist among all the organs and institutions of the government, which helps to drive the people-oriented policies and programmes of the government, the government doesn't need to make any noise again because the people can see with their eyes”. Need say more?

Dr. Brian Wilfred is a Media Consultant based in Port Harcourt. [email protected]