Chris Ngige
Encyclopedia
Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige (born 8 August 1952) was governor of Anambra State
in Nigeria
from 29 May 2003 to 17 March 2006. He is a member of the Action Congresss (AC).
He was elected Senator for Anambra Central in April 2011.
A medical doctor by profession, Ngige graduated from the University of Nigeria-Nsukka
in 1979. He immediately went into the civil service, serving at the National Assembly and State House clinics at different times. He retired in 1998 as a Deputy Director in the Federal Ministry of Health
.
(PDP)
By 1999, he was Assistant National Secretary and Zonal Secretary of PDP in the South East region of the country.
Elected in 2003 under controversial circumstances, he quickly broke ranks with his self-styled "political godfather
" after an unsuccessful attempt on 10 July 2003 to illegally remove him from office through a fabricated letter of resignation which the state assembly accepted.
A Nigerian Federal Court of Appeal affirmed the nullification of Ngige's purported 2003 election victory on 15 March 2006.
This was after a lower election court(election Tribunal led by Justice Nabaruma had in August 2005 nullified his 2003 victory.
The court declared that Peter Obi
, candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance
(APGA) was the bona fide winner of the election.
However, this nullification has not diminished Ngige's popularity as he spent the 33 months in office executing populist, people-oriented programmes especially road construction. Ngige had accepted the court ruling as the court of appeal was the terminal court in governorship election petitions and to save the state further crises arising from the support given his traducers by the Obasano-led federal government.An attempt to participate in Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) conducted 'Governorship election' in the state in April 2007 was frustrated by INEC in complicity with the federal authorities through a dubious 'disqualification'even after a Federal High Court had voided the disqualification. Ngige was severely criticized for appearing naked at the dreaded Okija voodoo shrine in order to be made governor.
Ngige ran for election in the April 2011 elections for Senator for Anambra Central, on the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) platform. After voting problems in some areas of the constituency on 9 April, the election in these areas was held on 25 April and Ngige was declared winner over former Minister of Information and Communications Professor Dora Akunyili
of the APGA. He scored 69,765 votes while Akunyili scored 69,292 votes.
Anambra State
Anambra is a state in south-eastern Nigeria. Its name is an anglicized version of the original 'Oma Mbala', the native name of the Anambra River. The Capital and the Seat of Government is Awka. Onitsha and Nnewi are the biggest commercial and industrial cities, respectively. The state's theme is...
in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
from 29 May 2003 to 17 March 2006. He is a member of the Action Congresss (AC).
He was elected Senator for Anambra Central in April 2011.
Background
Ngige was born on 8 August 1952.A medical doctor by profession, Ngige graduated from the University of Nigeria-Nsukka
University of Nigeria
The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria. Founded in 1955 and formally opened on 7 October 1960, the University of Nigeria has four campuses – Nsukka, Enugu and Ituku-Ozalla – located in Enugu State and one in Aba, Abia...
in 1979. He immediately went into the civil service, serving at the National Assembly and State House clinics at different times. He retired in 1998 as a Deputy Director in the Federal Ministry of Health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
.
Political career
Thereafter, Ngige turned to politics, becoming a founding member of the People's Democratic PartyPeople's Democratic Party (Nigeria)
The People's Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the right wing of the political spectrum. It has won every single Presidential elections since 1999, namely: 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011, and is the dominant party in the Fourth Republic.-History:In...
(PDP)
By 1999, he was Assistant National Secretary and Zonal Secretary of PDP in the South East region of the country.
Elected in 2003 under controversial circumstances, he quickly broke ranks with his self-styled "political godfather
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
" after an unsuccessful attempt on 10 July 2003 to illegally remove him from office through a fabricated letter of resignation which the state assembly accepted.
A Nigerian Federal Court of Appeal affirmed the nullification of Ngige's purported 2003 election victory on 15 March 2006.
This was after a lower election court(election Tribunal led by Justice Nabaruma had in August 2005 nullified his 2003 victory.
The court declared that Peter Obi
Peter Obi
Peter Obi was governor of Anambra State in Nigeria from 17 March 2006 to 2 November 2006, when he was impeached and from 9 February 2007 to 29 May 2007 after his impeachment was overturned...
, candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance
All Progressives Grand Alliance
The All Progressives Grand Alliance is a political party in Nigeria. At the last legislative elections, 12 April 2003, the party won 1.4 % of popular votes and 2 of 360 seats in the House of Representatives of Nigeria and no seats in the Senate...
(APGA) was the bona fide winner of the election.
However, this nullification has not diminished Ngige's popularity as he spent the 33 months in office executing populist, people-oriented programmes especially road construction. Ngige had accepted the court ruling as the court of appeal was the terminal court in governorship election petitions and to save the state further crises arising from the support given his traducers by the Obasano-led federal government.An attempt to participate in Independent National Electoral Commission
Independent National Electoral Commission
The Independent National Electoral Commission , set up in 1998, is the electoral body which was set up to oversee elections in Nigeria.The INEC has encountered several controversies in the run-up to the April 2007 general elections, including criticism about its preparedness from Sada Abubakar,...
(INEC) conducted 'Governorship election' in the state in April 2007 was frustrated by INEC in complicity with the federal authorities through a dubious 'disqualification'even after a Federal High Court had voided the disqualification. Ngige was severely criticized for appearing naked at the dreaded Okija voodoo shrine in order to be made governor.
Ngige ran for election in the April 2011 elections for Senator for Anambra Central, on the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) platform. After voting problems in some areas of the constituency on 9 April, the election in these areas was held on 25 April and Ngige was declared winner over former Minister of Information and Communications Professor Dora Akunyili
Dora Akunyili
Dora Nkem Akunyili is the former Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control of Nigeria and former Nigerian Minister of Information and Communications...
of the APGA. He scored 69,765 votes while Akunyili scored 69,292 votes.