Former Anambra State Governor, Chris Ngige, has opened up about the events that led to his removal from office in 2006. According to him, the main reason he was forced out was his refusal to appoint Chris Uba as his deputy governor.
Ngige, who also served as Minister of Labour under late President Muhammadu Buhari, confirmed he’s still a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), though he’s currently taking a break from party activities.
Speaking in Abuja, Ngige said he has no regrets about how things turned out. He believes everything that happened was part of God’s plan. He claimed certain political actors gave him conditions to remain in office, but he refused to accept them.
He recalled that the late Senator Ibrahim Mantu brought the demands on behalf of powerful individuals at the time. Mantu reportedly told him to appoint someone as his deputy, later revealing that it was Chris Uba.
Ngige said he turned down the request for two major reasons. First, making Uba deputy would give him immunity, which could be dangerous. Second, he feared that the people of Anambra would never support it, especially after witnessing the destruction caused by Uba’s associates, who had burned public buildings and declared they had taken over the state.
He stressed that those behind the chaos even went on national television to warn him not to return to the state. Ngige said he refused to hand power to such people, even if it cost him his seat, trusting that God was in control.
As a Catholic, he said he believed strongly in divine destiny. After his removal, someone told him they would have taken their own life if in his shoes. Ngige responded that he could help them find a rope because he had accepted it as God’s will.
He said he chose not to challenge the court ruling that removed him because he wanted to avoid further conflict in the state. He reminded everyone that he came from a humble background and was not born into power.
Ngige also addressed his controversial decision to employ people labeled as “bad boys” during his time as governor. He explained that this was a smart strategy to fight insecurity using local help, not pocket security money as many politicians do.
He said he proposed a bill for vigilante services across communities in Anambra and worked with the state assembly to pass it. Communities were asked to submit names of both trustworthy individuals and known troublemakers.
Ngige said they gave jobs to these young men, paid them well, fed them, and equipped them. In return, they helped track down criminals and even followed suspects into other states like Abia to arrest them.
When police protection was taken from him, these local security men stepped up and guarded him. Ngige said that’s how security votes should be used — to serve the people, not to enrich those in office.
