Former Governor of Anambra State, Senator Chris Ngige, has claimed that his removal from office in 2006 was due to his refusal to appoint prominent political figure and powerbroker in the state, Chris Uba, as his deputy governor.
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Ngige, who also served as Minister of Labour and Employment under the administration of the late President Buhari, affirmed that he remains a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), although currently on sabbatical.
He also explained his controversial decision to recruit individuals described as “bad boys” during his tenure as governor.
Speaking in an interview in Abuja, Ngige said he had no regrets about his removal, describing the events as divinely orchestrated.
“I know those who were removing me. They showed their hands. They gave me conditions, and I said I wouldn’t do them,” Ngige said.
The former minister recounted a meeting brokered by the late Senator Ibrahim Mantu, who relayed conditions from the powerbrokers.
“Mantu came to me and told me the things I was supposed to do. He said somebody sent him. I said, ‘Tell the person I won’t do it.’ He came back and said, ‘Let us go and see the person.’ And the person told me the major condition would be that I should make Chris Uba my deputy governor.”
Ngige said he rejected the proposal for two key reasons.
“First, if I made him deputy governor, he would have immunity and could walk into my office and shoot me. If he shot me, nothing would happen people would claim my orderly did it by accident. Second, the people of Anambra would revolt against me. That’s the more important reason. The people had seen all those behind the plot and they didn’t hide. They came and burnt down the state.
“They burnt down the House of Assembly, the Governor’s Office, the Anambra Broadcasting Service, the Anambra Education Commission headquarters, and several other places. They didn’t hide they even made a broadcast on AIT, warning me not to enter the state again, claiming they had taken over.”
Ngige said he was firm in rejecting the group’s demand. “I told them, ‘You can take my seat, no problem. God is in charge.’”
A devout Catholic, Ngige said he strongly believes in predestination and accepted his removal as part of God’s plan.
“I’m happy with all that transpired because that is how God willed it. When I was removed from office, someone came to me crying, saying if it were him, he would have committed suicide. I told him, ‘I can go and get a rope for you,’ because this is what God wants,” he said.
He said another reason he chose not to challenge the court ruling that ousted him was to prevent further violence and bloodshed in the state.
“I wasn’t born a governor. I was born Nwabueze Ngige, son of a carpenter. My father was a foreman of works at PWD,” he said.
Ngige also shed light on his controversial decision to employ so-called “bad boys” during his tenure.
He explained that the individuals were used to combat crime and insecurity, and that his security vote was fully applied in the interest of public safety.
“To secure your state takes money. That’s why the originators of budgets introduced security votes. But many governors and chief executives treat security votes as pocket money. That’s wrong,” he said.
“I’ll give you a typical example. In 2003, I took a bill to the Anambra State House of Assembly to legalize vigilante services in every community the AVS Bill. They passed it. Before then, we had clashed over the issue of my resignation and abduction, but we eventually bonded. We dined together twice a month and discussed everything concerning the state.”
He continued: “We told each community to submit names for employment—including the names of known bad boys. We hired all of them. We brought the bad boys in and told them plainly: ‘You owe us the duty to expose other criminals, even those who have fled the state. Any false move from you, and you’re done.’
“They complied. We paid them well ₦30,000 monthly in 2003–2005, which is worth over ₦3 million today. We fed them twice a day, gave them vehicles, and provided recharge card money. They were motivated to defend the state.
“In fact, when my police protection was withdrawn, they provided security for me. Sometimes they even went to Aba in Abia State to track down criminals who had fled from Anambra. That is how security funds should be spent. But many governors treat it as pocket money for buying properties.”
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