AWKA - COALITION for Democracy (CODEM), an umbrella union of all human rights groups operating in Anambra State, has given the Anambra State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Awka a month ultimatum to terminate what it called “illegitimate government of Dr Chris Ngige”, saying that if it (tribunal) fails to do that, it would “become immoral for our people to become law abiding. CODEM said that Ngige’s government must be terminated if the rule of law and it’s due process are not to be corrosively destroyed.
According to the coalition, with the series of confessions made by the different actors in the Anambra political crisis regarding the April 19, 2003 governorship election in the state, Ngige’s continued occupation of the Anambra Government House “would continue to have destructive effect on the legal and moral psyche of our state and people”.
Rising from an emergency meeting held in Onitsha yesterday, the coalition noted that it was painful that despite the fact that the people of Anambra State defiled all odds placed in their way by INEC to cast their votes in the election, they were being paid back with hardship arising from the fraudulent election results. It noted that it’s affiliates monitored the election and that “the results they collated showed Mr Peter Obi of APGA as the clear winner of the election.”
CODEM also noted that election monitors and the people of Anambra State unanimously rejected the results announcing Dr Chris Ngige as winner, describing it as “bogus, concocted and an electoral fraud of unprecedented magnitude”.
In a communique issued at the end of the emergency meeting, the coalition noted as follows:
lThat Chris Ngige's claim to be governor of Anambra State is dubious.
lThat Anambra State has suffered unquantifiable damage to it’s infrastructure and properties as a result of the inordinate ambition of Ngige to sustain his government.
That the Nabaruma-led election Tribunal must as a matter of extreme urgency, terminate the government of Dr Ngige, if the rule of law and its due process are not to be corrosively destroyed. lThat the continuance of Ngige’s regime would continue to have destructive effect on the legal and moral psyche of our State and the people.
lUnless the Tribunal terminates the government of Chris Ngige before the last day of January 2005, it would become immoral for our people to become law abiding. The communique was signed by the CLO, Forum for Rights and Democracy, Human Rights Club, Human Justice, Traders Rights Initiative, Anambra Welfare Movement and Justice Vanguard.
