Confessionary Statement By Chief Chris Uba Of Anambra State On Gubernatorial Elections In Anambra State In Favor Of Dr. Chris Ngige December 21, 2004 | posted by Nigerian Muse (Archives)

 

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CONFESSIONARY STATEMENT BY CHIEF CHRIS UBA OF ANAMBRA STATE

ON GUBERNATORIAL ELECTIONS IN ANAMBRA STATE IN FAVOR OF DR. CHRIS NGIGE

 

December 21, 2004

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"As the truth of Anambra issue is being gradually revealed and denials and lies are being traded, I believe that as one of the main activists in the whole issue, the moment of truth and remorse has come.

First of all, let me express my heartfelt regret for my error and the activities involved with others in Anambra to put Ngige in power as the governor of the state.
 

In showing remorse, I sincerely ask for understanding and forgiveness of all our people in Anambra state and those Nigerian leaders and citizens who have been affected and insulted by the Anambra issue.
 

My mistake for which I ask for understanding stemmed from my belief that election is like a battle and since all is fair in war, I believe the end justifies the means in an election. We did everything possible, to put Ngige in power. In the presence of the President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, I asked Dr. Chris Ngige whether he actually won the election, he confirmed he did not win the election. The President drove us out. As from that point, he did not want to listen to our story again.
 

At another occasion after that, I had the opportunity, when Chief Audu Ogbeh invited Dr. Chris Ngige and myself to his house to tell the same story. Again Dr. Chris Ngige confirmed before Chief Audu Ogbeh that he did not win the election, when I asked him the same question. Because he was more attentive than the President, I told him that even the certificate of return of the Governorship Election was in my custody and at the appropriate time, I will make the copies available to the press. Chief Audu Ogbeh advised that we should all keep quiet on the issue of governorship election in Anambra. I obeyed.
 

As time goes on, the truth will be more and more exposed and I can only hope that justice will prevail.
 

Once again, I deeply regret my error and some of my actions in winning the election which in the end have caused some people inconvenience."

 

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This Day

 

How Ogbeh Concealed Fraud, By Uba
• It’s absolute nonsense, says PDP national chairman
 

By Tokunbo Adedoja in Lagos, Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Emmanuel Ugwu in Enugu, 12.22.2004

Anambra Polls

Chief Chris Uba, the enstranged godfather of Governor Chris Ngige of Anambra State yesterday alleged that the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Audu Ogbeh, helped to conceal facts on the manipulation of the April 19, 2003 gubernatorial polls in which the party candidate was declared winner.
 

While commenting on an earlier disclosure by President Olusegun Obasanjo that Ngige admitted that the PDP did not win the last gubernatorial polls, Uba in a seven-paragraph statement affirmed that he and Ngige had equally told Ogbeh that PDP did not win the election. He said Ogbeh asked him not to make any public disclosure of the facts when he wanted to.
But Ogbeh in his reaction yesterday said Uba's claim was "absolute nonsense". He equally challenged the businessman-politician to send the evidence to back his claim on election rigging to Anambra Election Petition Tribunal which is still hearing the petition by All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Dr. Peter Obi.
 

Also, Ngige reiterated his earlier position that he never admitted losing the election either in the presence of Obasanjo or Ogbeh.
 

In the statement, Uba expressed regrets for his role in the manipulation of election results in favour of Ngige and asked for the forgiveness of the people of Anambra State. He added that after the governor made the confession before Ogbeh, the PDP chairman advised both of them to "keep quiet on the issue."
 

He said that he is also in possession of the certificate of return of the governorship election and would at the appropriate time make copies available to the press. He explained that as one of the main activists in the entire saga, he believes the moment of truth and remorse has come.
 

Expressing deep regret for what he called "my error and some of my actions in winning the election," Uba said "my mistake for which I asked for understanding stemmed from my belief that election is like a battle and since all is fair in war, I believe that the end justifies the means in an election. We did everything possible to put Ngige in power."
 

The full text of the release reads: "As the truth of Anambra issue is being gradually revealed and denials and lies are being traded, I believe that as one of the main activists in the whole issue, the moment of truth and remorse has come.
"First of all, let me express my heartfelt regret for my error and the activities involved with others in Anambra to put Ngige in power as the governor of the state.
 

"In showing remorse, I sincerely ask for understanding and forgiveness of all our people in Anambra state and those Nigerian leaders and citizens who have been affected and insulted by the Anambra issue.
 

"My mistake for which I ask for understanding stemmed from my belief that election is like a battle and since all is fair in war, I believe the end justifies the means in an election. We did everything possible, to put Ngige in power. In the presence of the President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, I asked Dr. Chris Ngige whether he actually won the election, he confirmed he did not win the election. The President drove us out. As from that point, he did not want to listen to our story again.
 

"At another occasion after that, I had the opportunity, when Chief Audu Ogbeh invited Dr. Chris Ngige and myself to his House to tell the same story. Again Dr. Chris Ngige confirmed before Chief Audu Ogbeh that he did not win the election, when I asked him the same question. Because he was more attentive than the President, I told him that even the certificate of return of the Governorship Election was in my custody and at the appropriate time, I will make the copies available to the press. Chief Audu Ogbeh advised that we should all keep quiet on the issue of governorship election in Anambra. I obeyed.
"As time goes on, the truth will be more and more exposed and I can only hope that justice will prevail.
 

"Once again, I deeply regret my error and some of my actions in winning the election which in the end have caused some people inconvenience".
 

The latest revelation follows the letter written by Obasanjo to Ogbeh last week where he alleged that Ngige, in response to a question from Uba, during a parley he had with them at the Presidential Villa, confessed that he did not win last year's Anambra governorship election.
 

In the letter dated December 6, 2004, Obasanjo wrote, "I got the shock of my life when Chris Uba looked Ngige straight in the face and said: 'You know you did not win the election and Ngige answered 'Yes, I know I did not win.' Chris Uba went further to say to Ngige 'You don't know in detail how it was done.' I was horrified and told both of them to leave my residence".
 

Ogbeh who reacted through his Special Assistant, Mr. Thompson Abu, said "this is absolute nonsense and if Chris Uba is a patriotic Nigerian and he has any evidence of any electoral malpractice, the right and proper thing to do is to take such evidence to the electoral tribunal that is properly constituted, rather than addressing press conferences and making noise."
Ogbeh called on Uba to head for the tribunal and submit his evidence instead of threatening to address a press conference.
 

The PDP chairman also reminded Uba to bear in mind that he is still an expelled member of the party and therefore has no obligation to protect the party's secrets.
 

The Anambra State Government in its comment on Uba's claim signed by Fred Chukwulobe, the governor's Special Assistant on Media and Publicity stated that: "Governor Ngige has never admitted before anybody to have lost the elections. The claim by Chief Chris Uba that the governor did so before President Obasanjo and Chief Audu Ogbeh is untrue. This is not the first time Chief Uba is making this wild allegation; he did so in the US last September and later recanted it.
 

"The matter of the elections is before the Election Tribunal and it is subjudice to continue to comment on it. The tribunal and the courts are there to adjudicate on the issues pertaining to the elections. We have confidence in the courts and believe they will do justice.
 

"Chris Uba and Mr. Peter Obi of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) have a new alliance to unseat Governor Ngige and part of the plan is to employ media blackmail in order to intimidate and stampede the courts and the election tribunal.
"The government believes in justice and is, therefore, waiting for the verdict of the tribunal."

 

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Champion

 

Anambra poll: Ogbeh begged me to keep quiet –– Uba

•He’s a drowning man, says Ngige

•It’s absolute nonsense –– Ogbeh

SIMON IBE, Snr Political Editor, TONY AILEMEN, Yola and NKIRU OKEKE, Enugu (with other reports)

SELF-ACCLAIMED political godfather of Anambra State Chief Chris Uba yesterday raised the stakes in the state’s political imbroglio when he marshalled how he allegedly masterminded the wholesale rigging of the governorship election in the state last year.

Chief Uba even claimed that, till date he still retained custody of the electoral "Certificate of Return" issued to Gov. Chris Ngige by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), even as it emerged that the Senate may compel INEC to annul the entire election.

Uba threw the "bombshell" in a statement he issued from his Enugu, Enugu State base in which he apoligised profusely to Anambra people for helping to wrought on them the fraud he claimed he masterminded.

But, the Anambra State Government and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman, Chief Audu Ogbeh reacted sharply to the claims, saying that Chief Uba was merely raising the stakes to keep himself in the limelight.

Government House, Awka, responding to the latest twist in the Anambra tale insisted last night that the matter of who won the election, now the subject of a case before the elections tribunal should be left to the tribunal to determine.

Gov. Ngige’s spokesman Mr. Fred Chukwuelobe said on the telephone that, "Chris Uba is an aggrieved party in this matter and he was not to be taken seriously (in his latest statement)

"We should allow the tribunal to do its work as only the tribunal is in a position to determine who won or lost the election of April 19, 2003.

President Olusegun Obasanjo had, two weeks ago in reply to a letter addressed to him by Chief Ogbeh on the matter stated that, in a confrontation in his presidential villa home Uba had got Ngige to admit that he (governor) did not win the election.

Yesterday, however, the state government claimed that "Chris Uba denied saying that PDP lost the election at the World Igbo Congress in the United States", and asked: "Why is he suddenly claiming it happened?"

Also, Chief Ogbeh dismissed Chief Uba’s claims as absolute nonsense and challenged him to take his case to the election tribunal.

But, Chief Uba said in his seven-paragraph statement that he was making the confession in the hope that the people would forgive him for the role he said he played in the dirty game.

"I believe that the moment of truth and remorse has come", he wrote while pleading "for forgiveness and understanding from the people of Anambra in particular and Nigerians in general"

He signed the statement himself, and reconfirmed to Daily Champion in a telephone encounter that he had more grim tales to tell of the matter and would say so soon.

"As the truth of Anambra issue is being gradually revealed and denials and lies are being traded, I believe that as one of the main activists in the whole issue, the moment of truth and remorse has come: let me express my heart-felt regret for my error and the activities involved with others in Anambra to put Ngige in power as the governor of the state".

The statement read in parts: "My mistake for which I ask for understanding stemmed from my belief that election is like a battle and since all is fair in war, I believe that the end justifies the means in an election.

"In the presence of President Obasanjo, I asked Dr. Ngige whether he actually won the election, he confirmed he did not win the election; the president drove us out as from that point, he did not want to listen to our story.

"At another occasion soon after that, I had the opportunity, when Chief Ogbeh invited Dr. Ngige and myself to his house to tell the same story, again Dr. Chris Ngige confirmed before Ogbeh that he did not win the election, when I asked him the same question.

"Because he was more attentive than the president, I told him that even the certificate of return of the governorship election was in my custody and at the appropriate time: I will make the copies available to the press.

"Chief Ogbeh advised that we should all keep quiet on the issue of governorship election in Anambra, I obeyed".

In its reaction last night, Government House, Awka insisted that Chief Ubah was raising the stakes afresh merely in a grand effort to drag the names of Gov. Ngige and Chief Ogbeh in the mud.

Chief Ogbeh on his part, described Chief Uba’s claims as "absolute nonsense", challenging the businessman to go to the electoral tribunal if he had any evidence that would help the tribunal reach a just conclusion on the case.

Speaking through his special assistant (media), Mr. Abu Thompson, Chief Ogbeh denied the claims of Uba as unfounded and a figment of the imagination of the controversial political godfather.

The party chairman said "as a good and patriotic citizen, if he (Uba) has any evidence of electoral malpractices in the elections in the state, he should go to the tribunal and allow the tribunal to come to a just decision on the case rather than addressing the press and making claims that are false."

Meanwhile, the Senate may compel INEC to annul the 2003 Anambra gubernatorial election and prosecute perpetrators of electoral fraud in the state.

Sen. Jubril Aminu gave this indication in Yola on Monday, while reacting to revelations by President Obasanjo on the matter.

Aminu said if it was true Gov. Ngige admitted electoral failure and Chief Ubah confessed to have aided the fraud, then there were enough indications that the 2003 gubernatorial election in Anambra was rigged in favour of the PDP.

The only panacea for peace in Anambra now is to deal with these trouble makers, by annulling the 2003 gubernatorial election and hand over Dr. Chris Uba to the police for prosecution.

In the letter to Chief Ogbeh, President Obasanjo had stated inter-alia: "Again I did and that was when I got the real shock of my life when Chris Uba looked Ngige straight in the face and said "you know you did not win the election" and Ngige answered "Yes I know I did not win". Chris Uba went further to say to Ngige "You don’t know in detail how it was done" "I was horrified and told both of them to leave my residence."

Sen. Aminu who faulted President Obasanjo’s reaction to the revelation said, the President would have saved the state and the entire nation the ensuing embarrassment by calling on INEC to annul the election.

"I think people would have expected the President to call the INEC chairman and say that this man (Ngige) in front of me said he did not win the election so do something about him and also call the Inspector General of Police and hand over Chief Uba to him for perpetrating electoral fraud," he said.

Aminu, PDP senator representing Adamawa Central, however allayed fears that the crisis may cripple democracy, noting that "those involved are matured enough especially as they are both concerned with enthroning lasting democratic values not destroying it."

"The leaking of the letter may appear to be a deliberate act of mischief especially if it came from the party apparatus; this makes it even more serious because it means that it was a deliberate attempt to bring out the differences between the party chairman and Mr. President on the issue," he said.

 

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The Punch, Wednesday, December 22, 2004

Uba’ll be investigated — Police

Kunle Adeyemi

The police have said that they would look into the self-confession by Chief Chris Uba that he, in concert with others, rigged the 2003 gubernatorial election in Anambra State.

Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Chris Olakpe, in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Tuesday, said though the information was new to him, “The police will definitely take the appropriate steps.

“I am not aware of this, I am getting the information from you for the first time, but we will surely find out the truth and when everything is clear we will take the appropriate steps. But we must investigate first.”

He observed that before the issue of arrest could arise, the police needed to find out whether there was any rigging at all and in what manner it was carried out.

Olakpe noted that the confession was not a “clear case of criminality as in someone stealing a goat belonging to another person or one killing another. However, we’ll have to investigate it.”

Also reacting, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Audu Ogbeh, advised Uba to go to the Anambra Election Tribunal to admit his crime.

Ogbeh spoke through his Special Assistant (Media), Mr. Thompson Abu.

“If he has evidence of electoral malpractices, he should go to the tribunal and make the evidence available,” he said.

Ogbeh, however, denied that Uba led Ngige to him in Abuja to confess rigging the poll.

He said, “There is no such thing as informing the chairman and the chairman asking him to keep quiet. There was no meeting.”
 

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