Former Governor of Anambra State, Senator Chris Ngige, has alleged that his removal from office in 2006 was primarily due to his refusal to appoint political heavyweight Chris Uba as his deputy governor.
Ngige, who also served as Minister of Labour and Employment under the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, stated that he remains a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), although he is currently on a sabbatical from active politics.
Speaking in an interview in Abuja, Ngige said he had no regrets about his ouster, describing it as part of a divine plan.
“I know those who were behind my removal. They gave me conditions, and I said I wouldn’t accept them,” he said.
He recalled a meeting facilitated by the late Senator Ibrahim Mantu, who, according to him, relayed the conditions from political powerbrokers.
“Mantu came to me and said someone had sent him. He outlined the conditions and urged me to go and meet the person. When we met, the main demand was that I appoint Chris Uba as my deputy governor.”
Ngige said he rejected the condition for two key reasons:
“First, if I made him deputy governor, he would have immunity and could walk into my office and shoot me, and nothing would happen. It would just be dismissed as an accident caused by my orderly.
“Second, the people of Anambra would rise against me. That’s the more important reason. The people had already seen what these individuals were capable of—they openly burned down the House of Assembly, the Governor’s Office, the Anambra Broadcasting Service, and the Education Commission headquarters. They even went on AIT and declared that I should never return to the state.”
Ngige said he decided not to contest the court ruling that removed him in order to avoid further instability in the state.
“You can take my seat. No problem. God is in charge,” he added, expressing a deep belief in predestination.
“I’m happy with how everything turned out. That’s how God wanted it. When I was removed, someone came to me crying, saying if it were him, he’d commit suicide. I told him, ‘I can get you a rope if that’s what you want.’”
Ngige emphasized his humble beginnings, saying,
“I wasn’t born a governor. I was born Nwabueze Ngige, son of a carpenter—my father was a foreman of works at the Public Works Department (PWD).”
The former governor also addressed his controversial decision to employ individuals with criminal records—what he called “bad boys”—as part of his administration’s security strategy.
“Securing your state takes money. That’s why the originators of budgets introduced the concept of security votes. But many governors treat it as personal pocket money. I didn’t.”
He recalled introducing a bill to establish vigilante services across communities in Anambra in 2003, which was passed after a previously strained relationship with the state assembly improved
“We asked communities to submit names of those to be recruited, including the so-called bad boys. We told the bad boys plainly: we know who you are. If you step out of line, there will be consequences. But you owe us a duty to help us identify other criminals, even those who had fled the state.”
Ngige said the strategy worked.
“We paid them ₦30,000 monthly back then—equivalent to about ₦3 million today. We fed them twice daily, gave them buses, and even provided them with phone credit.
“When the police withdrew from me, these vigilantes secured me. They even carried out operations outside Anambra, including in Aba, to arrest criminals who had fled the state. That’s what security votes should be used for—not personal enrichment.”
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