Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State's Last Address

 

 

November 3, 2006

 

I wish to address you this morning on the plan by Mr. Justice Chuks Okoli, the Chief Judge of Anambra State, to swear in my Deputy, Dame Virgy Etiaba, as the Governor of Anambra State, despite the fact that all the processes so far taken to arrive at my purported impeachment by a faction of the Anambra State House of Assembly are unconstitutional.
 

It is pertinent to point out that the Anambra State House of Assembly has been sharply divided into two, with Hon. Mike Balonwu leading 15 members, and Hon. Ben Chuks Nwosu leading 13 others. The Balonwu group never at any time had the two-third majority required by the constitution to direct the Chief Judge to set up a panel to investigate the so-called allegations leveled against me.

In spite of this, it is bizarre that the Chief Judge went ahead with the unconstitutional action of setting up the so-called panel, with four of its seven members, including Reverend Canon Ofeme, his Parish Vicar, coming from his village of Otolo Nnewi.
"While I offered to defend myself before this panel, it bluntly refused to give me the opportunity to do so, and within 48 hours the panel allegedly turned in a none-existent report to the Balonwu-led faction which then sat at 5a.m. with less than 12 members in attendance, and without media coverage, to announce my purported impeachment.
 

It is unfortunate that Chief Judge Chuka Okoli disregarded all the resolutions by the Hon. Ben Chuks Nwosu-led faction of the Anambra State House quashing the entire impeachment by the Balonwu faction to force me from office. The Chief Judge also frustrated my attempts to obtain an injunction to stop his setting up of the seven-man panel. The flagrant breaches of the constitutions by Chief Judge Chuka Okoli and the Hon. Balonwu group of 15 legislators will create an anomaly if the Chief Judge goes ahead to swear-in my Deputy as Governor.

While I thank you, the good people of Anambra State, for solidly standing behind me, I wish to assure you that I am not prepared to surrender the electoral mandate which you gave by bowing to the crude and unconstitutional actions of Chief Judge Chuka Okoli and the group of 15 members of the Anambra State House of Assembly led by Hon. Mike Balonwu. My position is in line with my avowed stance to always act in consonance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and in defense of the constitution of our dear country. To be sure, I remain the governor of Anambra State.

 

Mr. Peter Obi's last address to the people shortly before his deputy was sworn-in as the state governor after his impeachment.