Nigeria’s ruling party on Friday is attempting to rectify a political crisis that broke out in the south-eastern Nigerian state of Anambra when the state’s governor was removed from office in what may have been an elaborate coup attempt.
The crisis erupted on Thursday when Anambra state governor, Chris Ngige, purportedly sent a letter to the speaker of the state Parliament tendering his resignation and requesting the appointment of the deputy governor in his stead.
Shortly after the directive was carried out, Ngige — who denied writing any such letter — was arrested by police. A top state police official claimed the governor was merely put under ”protective custody”.
Jerry Gana, special adviser on political affairs to Nigeria’s President Olusegun Obasanjo, said the incident was ”a rape of democracy and we shall not allow it to stand”.
Ngige claims the crisis is the handiwork of a wealthy businessman who contributed millions of dollars to the governor’s campaign fund. As soon as Ngige won election, the unnamed mogul presented the new governor with a bill of $15-million.
Ngige said that when he turned down the request, trouble started as the mogul threw his financial weight around, bribed police officials, and moved to ensure his immediate removal from office.
In a statement issued on Friday in the Nigerian capital Abuja, National Inspector General of Police Tafa Balogun declared the removal of the Anambra governor null and void.
Balogun ordered immediate action to ensure the restoration of the status quo before the crisis pending his arrival in the state later on Friday.
Members of the National Executive Committee of Nigeria’s ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) also left the Nigerian capital Abuja for Anambra State to deal with crisis.
The leader of the committee, PDP National chair Audu Ogbe, declared that the party would ensure that normalcy returned to state in the interest of democracy – Sapa-dpa