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Anambra crisis: Commissioners panic, as Ngige moves to reshuffle cabinet
John Ameh
Members of the Anambra State Executive Council are currently unsettled, following strong indications of an impending major cabinet reshuffle by the state Governor, Dr. Chris Ngige.
Impeccable sources confided in Sunday Punch on Saturday that at least five commissioners might be shown the way out in the imminent reshuffle.
It was also gathered that the cabinet shake-up is believed to be part of a new "quiet deal'' between Ngige and his estranged political godfather, Chief Chris Uba, to resolve their prolonged political disagreement.
Ngige himself made a veiled reference to the reshuffle, when he received a strong delegation from Aguata Local Government Area, Uba's local government, in Awka, late on Thursday, as he assured the delegation that their sons and daughters would be considered in new appointments to be announced soon.
He had told the delegation, led by the Transition Committee Chairman of the area, Mr. Ifeanyi Okoli, that despite the open animosity between him, Uba and other masterminds of the July 10, 2003 abduction, he would give political appointments to the people of the area.
Uba, the impeached former Deputy Governor of the state, Mr. Okey Udeh and the former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mrs. Eucheria Azodo, all hail from Aguata and Orumba-North local governments, which were part of the Old Aguata Union, a political bloc in the state.
The development was said to have unsettled some panicky commissioners as at Friday, forcing them to display an unusual loyalty to Ngige at the Government House, Awka. On Friday, they were seen hovering around Ngige, shortly after he swore in newly appointed permanent secretaries.
Two of the commissioners operating from the State Secretariat, Awka, are said to be on the list of casualties.
"The exercise is for real. They will go. Some of them have also not been performing to expectations'', one of the sources, who is an insider in the corridors of power, confided in Sunday Punch on Saturday.
Meanwhile, an Ogidi High Court in the state is to decide on whether it has the jurisdiction to entertain the suit brought before it by three key members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, challenging the decision of its national and state executives to exclude them from the party' State Congress, on the 29th of this month.
The plaintiffs in the suit are, Chief Ogugua Nwosu, the former Financial Secretary of the party, Mr. Emma Obele, its former Assistant Legal Adviser and Ms. Chima Onyebsoh, state Women Leader.
Listed as defendants/respondents in the suit, are, the PDP as a party, National Chairman of the party, Chief Audu Ogbeh, the National Secretary, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor, the state Governor, Dr. Chris Ngige, the Acting state Chairman, Chief Ifeatu Obi-Okoye and Chief Reuben Okpaloka.
Justice John-Ernest Egbuna, fixed the date for the ruling on Thursday, after hearing the response of the plaintiffs to the preliminary objections raised by the defendants/respondents to their claims.
The plaintiffs had obtained an order of the court on June 30, 2004, restraining the defendants from holding the state congress of the party, earlier fixed for July 1, on the grounds that they were excluded from attending the meeting by the officials of the party, pending the determination of the substantive suit on notice.
However, counsel to the first, fifth and sixth defendants, Mr. Chidi Nobis-Elendu, had objected to the claims of the plaintiffs that they had a right to be part of the congress and challenged the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit.
He pointed out that it was clear from their statement of claims that they were former members of the party, who could not be accorded the rights they were seeking.
But, counsel to the plaintiffs, Mr. Peter Obiora, in his response to the objections, stated that the issue of questioning the jurisdiction of the court at this early stage of the suit, was "premature'', as on the "face of their claims, there is nothing to rob the court of its jurisdiction over the matter.''
Obiora maintained that the matter before the court, was for it to determine whether the plaintiffs, being members of the PDP, which was registered according to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, had the locus standi to sue it at a law court or not, if they felt aggrieved.
He said, "Their only grouse, is that, they are entitled as of right, to take part in the selection of who becomes the chairman of the PDP. Is the exclusion of the plaintiffs from the congress, a violation of their rights?
"The question again, is, can this honourable court give them remedy to this violation? To which, I say, Yes.''
It would be recalled that the National Secretariat of the party, in Abuja, last month, dissolved its Anambra State exco, and called for the conduct of a fresh congress to pick a new substantive chairman to replace Chief Ifeatu Obi-Okoye, an ally of Uba.
Obi-Okoye was to hold brief as Ag. Chairman and conduct the congress, with the understanding that his successor, under the new peace deal between Ngige and Uba, would be picked from Anambra Central Zone, to give some equal spread of power within the party.
However, an attempt by Obi-Okoye to conduct the congress on July 1, was stalled by the plaintiffs, who sought an injunction stopping the exercise, on the grounds that they had been barred from participating it.
Sunday Punch, July 25, 2004
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