The judge, Abimbola Augie, ruled that since INEC already acknowledged the receipt of Dr. Ngige's application forms as a gubernatorial candidate of the AC and displayed such in 21 local governments in Anambra State for verification, it cannot turn around a few days later to stake a totally different claim.
Professor Maurice Iwu, INEC Chairman and a lackey of Mr. Emmanuel Nnamdi Uba of the PDP had personally taken over the process of disqualifying strong candidates running against Andy Uba in Anambra State. He had insisted that since Chris Ngige did not swear to an affidavit before a Nigerian law court he was ineligible to run (Dr. Chris Ngige sworn to an affidavit before a US court in Maryland). Although, the same INEC chairman had disqualified APS presidential candidate, 'Sir' Adedoyin, Famakinde as soon as Saharareporters reported that he was convicted in the US for mail fraud and sentenced to 30 months imprisonment in a Federal jail.
Sources told Saharareporters that the INEC chairman was furious about the judgment and will immediately appeal against it so as to stall Dr. Ngige's candidacy in the upcoming general elections.
This judgment is coming on the heels of a new legal scandal trailing the court trials faced by Andy Uba in another Federal High Court in Abuja over his certificate scandal. Our investigations have unearthed a fresh plan by Chief Bode George of the PDP to bribe the presiding judge, Justice Babs Kewunmi with N70 million in order to frustrate the case which challenges Emmanuel Andy Uba's fake university degrees.
The case which was adjourned till April 2nd 2007 by the presiding judge had suffered series of administrative bottlenecks which were deliberately planned by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Mrs. Roseline Ukeje whose children are business associates of Andy Uba.
The judge, Justice Babs Kewunmi, will rule on the question of jurisdiction on Monday April 2nd 2007.
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Background Information:
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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 ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP).
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.
Thereafter, Ngige turned to politics, becoming a founding member of the People's Democratic Party (PDP). By 1999, he was Assistant National Secretary and Zonal Secretary of PDP in the South East region of the country.
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Elected in 2003 under controversial circumstances, he quickly broke ranks with his self-styled "political godfather - Chris Uba" 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.
He became a local hero with the people by focusing on developing infrastructure in a state with virtually none, and paying lengthy backlogs of wages to civil servants. He has been unable to maintain a warm relationship with the President Olusegun Obasanjo mainly because he accused the president of coming to power under the same flawed election as himself. Ngige is very popular among his people and other Nigerians who consider him as a Robin Hood of sorts.
A Nigerian Federal Court of Appeal affirmed the nullification of Ngige's purported 2003 election victory on 15 March 2006. 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. Ngige has accepted the court ruling rather than appeal to the nation's Supreme Court, and publicly wished his successor well.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });