Former Anambra State Governor and ex-Minister of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige, has revealed the political intrigues that led to his removal from office in 2006. According to Ngige, his refusal to appoint Chris Uba, a prominent political powerbroker, as his deputy governor, was the main reason he was ousted.

 

In a recent interview in Abuja, Ngige said he was approached with certain “conditions” that he refused to accept.

 

“They gave me conditions, and I said I won’t do them,” he stated. “One of them was that I should appoint Chris Uba as deputy governor.”

 

 

Ngige recounted a key meeting facilitated by the late Senator Ibrahim Mantu, who allegedly conveyed the demand from the political elite. He said he rejected the idea of making Chris Uba his deputy for two main reasons.

 

“If I made him deputy governor, he would have immunity and could walk into my office and shoot me… Secondly, the people of Anambra would revolt.”

 

 

 

Ngige said his concerns were not unfounded, recalling the violent protests that broke out when the political godfathers tried to take control of the state.

 

 

Ngige described a period of intense unrest in Anambra State where government institutions were set ablaze.

 

“They burnt down the House of Assembly, the governor’s office, Anambra Broadcasting Service, and the Education Commission,” he recalled. “They even made a broadcast on AIT, saying I should not enter the state again.”

 

According to him, these were signs that those demanding political power were not acting in the state’s best interest.

 

 

Despite being removed from office, Ngige says he holds no regrets, believing it was all part of a divine plan.

 

“I’m happy with all that transpired because that is how God willed it,” he said. “When someone cried for me, I told him I could go and get a rope for him. This was God’s will.”

 

 

 

Ngige also revealed that he chose not to challenge his removal in court to avoid further crisis in Anambra State.

 

 

Ngige also shed light on his unusual but effective approach to tackling insecurity in Anambra State, by recruiting known local troublemakers into a state-backed vigilante system.

 

“We told communities to give us names of bad boys and those they wanted to employ. We hired all of them.”

 

 

 

He said the plan was to reform them, closely monitor them, and use them to help identify other criminals. The vigilantes were well-paid and provided with food, buses, and recharge cards.

 

“We paid them ₦30,000 monthly, which was a lot back then. They were willing to defend the state. Even when my police were withdrawn, they protected me.”

 

 

 

He emphasized that this was a proper use of the state’s security vote, in contrast to many governors who see the fund as personal spending money.

 

 

Ngige confirmed that he is still a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) but is currently on sabbatical from active politics. He served as Minister of Labour and Employment under former President Muhammadu Buhari and remains a vocal figure in national discourse.