Posted by By Anayo Okoli on
Embattled Governor Chris Ngige of Anambra State yesterday described the judgment of the first Anambra State Election Petition Tribunal which last week nullified his election as 'a judgment of man with all the flaws and errors", just as he accused the Justices that gave the judgment of being biased against him.
AWKA - Embattled Governor Chris Ngige of Anambra State yesterday described the judgment of the first Anambra State Election Petition Tribunal which last week nullified his election as 'a judgment of man with all the flaws and errors", just as he accused the Justices that gave the judgment of being biased against him. Ngige alleged that his lawyers were being frustrated by the tribunal from getting a copy of the judgment.
Ngige claimed that Mr. Peter Obi of APGA also rigged the election in his native Agulu ward even as he lambasted Obi for asking him to go with him before the Pope and swear that he won the election. According to Ngige, if they go before the Pope to swear, Obi will die first as he allegedly rigged in his own ward.
The Governor also lambasted the trial Judges of the tribunal for what he referred to as their manifest bias in favour of Obi. He claimed that the petition of Chief George Moghalu of ANPP and that of Obi were the same thing and wondered why Obi's petition survived while that of Moghalu was dismissed.
Ngige who spoke at a meeting of Anambra State stakeholders, which he called, made up of officials of his government, members of the House of Assembly, some traditional rulers, members of the factional PDP still loyal to him, leaders of a faction of APGA and ANPP, leaders of AD, Justice Party and Labour Party, as well as Chairmen of the local government areas, assured them that he would upturn the judgment at the Appeal Court. He said he would recruit extra four Senior Advocates and if possible a foreign lawyer to prosecute his appeal.
He wondered what Mr. Peter Obi wanted in Anambra State as according to him he was called by all manner of leaders to drop his petition but he refused. Ngige said he even called him and lobbied him to drop the matter and submit names of his candidates to form his cabinet.
'I called the meeting of all stakeholders of Anambra State. I thank you for answering the call.
If I have entered this hall and see it half-full or one-quarter full, I would have gone home and park my things and go and assume that Anambra people are no longer there for me. This is despite the confusion caused by the Police. But the whole Anambra is here. It shows me one thing: that Anambra State should be kept on the part of justice.
We have suffered man''s inhumanity to man.
' Anmabra State has been on the downward trend. We have even gotten to the abyss. But on May 29, 2003, we started finding our proper way back. When I came in I did not know that it was too bad.
I did not have cars, I inherited two cars which were not good. I started using my own cars, a Toyota Land cruiser and 406 Peugeot. I vowed that I will never be associated with failure. If I have agreed to share the State''s wealth, there will be no problem.
' That is why I called you. APGA, Peter Obi and co, people have talked to him. Bishops, Pastors, traditional rulers, market leaders, everybody, asked him to leave the this matter, he refused. I called him, let us talk it over so that we can agree when he can go for the position. If you have interest you bring people to the cabinet, after all, when I was constituting my cabinet, most peoe were not our party members. So what we are doing is looking for how to carry Anambra State along well.
'' We call you today to encourage you, to tell you that the judgment you saw is the judgment of man with all the flaws and errors, That is why we are challenging it at the Court of Appeal. We see all the attacks in the newspapers, especially in Vanguard where Peter Obi and others are having a field day asking me not to go on appeal. I ask are you from Anambra State. It is you people who will decide what we want for ourselves. When you people tell me don''t go on appeal, I will not go even though it is my constitutional right. So my going to appeal is in the right direction.
'' We are going to prosecute the appeal tenaciously and ferociously. We will prosecute it with the best lawyers in election petition. We are getting four more Senior Advocates, and if they are not enough we hire a foreign one.
'' I have told my brother [Peter Obi] who said he won, in Agulu, his ward he rigged. He said we should go to the Pope to swear, if we go to Pope he will die before me because he rigged election. We, the Catholics, we don''t call the name of the Pope in in vain. Any preson who calls his name in vain is a mischievous person.
'' We are going there and we are hopeful that we shall get justice, We will continue to work, in fact we will double our effort"", Ngige said.
He said that he felt that the tribunal members were trying to frustrate his legal team by not giving them a copy of the judgment more than seven days after the judgment.
'' As I speak to you. I don''t have a copy of the judgment. If they are writing another judgment, they should let us know. So I want you to know that and it is a fact"", Ngige said.
Ngige also announced to the gathering that from tomorrow he would releasing names of board members in the state as a way of rewarding politicians that have supported him.