Don’t kill Emeka Umeagbalasi!

Emeka Umeagbalasi, board chairman of International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety), Anambra-Nigeria, currently lives in fear of being murdered for his political views in the state. Umeagbalasi, immediate past chairman of Civil Liberties Organization (CLO) in Anambra state, is an ardent supporter of Peter Obi’s government, a situation which has, understandably, pitched him against anti-Obi forces. (Picture shows Umeagbalasi).

Umeagbalsi’s Intersociety, in this ‘Clarion Call’, cries out against what seems to be on-going murder plots on him. Intersociety puts it on record that a certain on-line publication (not KlinReports) recently speculated that Governor Obi gave N12 million to Umeagbalasi to fight his (Obi)’s political opponents. Chris Ngige, one time governor, is, at the moment, leading opposition against Obi's government in the state.

Intersociety wrote: “This Society suspects seriously that our Board Chairman (Emeka Umeagbalasi) may be targeted for assassination or abduction and cold blood murder by Dr Chris Ngige and his cohorts...We are particularly concerned about the safety of our Board Chairman…” Read Full text below:

A Clarion Call!!!
23/02/09

The attention of this Society has been drawn to a recent online statement to the effect that the Government of Anambra State, led by Mr. Gregory Peter Obi has “hired” Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi, at the sum of N12 million so as to “unleash mayhem” on Obi’s political opponents, against the back drop of the upcoming 2010 Anambra’s staggered governorship election.

The statement, which was published by one UkpakaReport .Com, “revealed” that Comrade Umeagbalasi was paid N6 million cash few days past and promised another N6 million to be paid in later weeks. The statement revealed its sponsors by stating that Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi, who floated a new NGO eight months ago, has been using same to attack Dr. Chris Ngige in recent times. It also stated that Comrade Umeagbalasi was used, dumped and re-recruited by Governor Obi, who is known for “use and dump tactics”, and who only remembers his friends in the period of crisis.

The Truth Behind Our Board Chairman’s Rights Activism:
Prior to the 2003 general elections in Anambra State- Nigeria, the Civil Liberties Organization, Anambra State Branch, under Comrade Umeagbalasi’s chairmanship, formed a coalition for credible election and good governance, in response to god-fatherism, mal-administration and political violence of shaking magnitude, which pervaded Anambra’s political landscape. The JDPC, led by Revered Father Onukwuba, the NLC, the Onitsha NBA, the NMA and other civil rights groups were part of the coalition.
The aim of the coalition was to guide the Anambra voters so as to choose credible candidates, especially the governor of the State. But after the PDP brutally rigged the said poll, in connivance with the INEC, which declared Dr. Chris Ngige winner, some of our coalition partners began to develop cold feet. After some months, they decamped to Dr. Chris Ngige’s camp and urged Mr. Peter Obi to discontinue his mandate pursuit.

The JDPC, NLC, NMA, Onitsha NBA(except Barrister Chuka, obele-chuka), ASMATA,etc, decamped and opted out of the coalition. The CLO, under Comrade Umeagbalasi, led the battle to recover Mr.Obi’s sacred mandate. Another coalition, known as CODEGG, also chaired by Comrade Umeagbalasi, later came on board. Prince Jimmy Asiegbu coordinated the oversea’s campaign, but he changed his stance later when Dr. Ngige was nearly abducted by his comrades-in-illegality.

Mr. Anayo Okoli coordinated the Anambra media segment, while Chief Chuks Iloegbunam oversaw the editorial segment. Comrade Joseph Igbokwe also contributed to the battle, while Bishop Obinna and Cardinal Okogie coordinated the pastoral segment. It was a battle of minority versus majority and at the end, minority was vindicated.

Our Opponents’ Responses:
Recall that prior to the above-named episode, our Board Chairman, then as CLO chairman, confronted Governor Mbadinuju head-on, and courageously, over his alleged “kill and bury, loot and plunder” styled governance. Comrade Umeagbalasi had then, adopted “invisible tactics” to ward off Dr. Mbadinuju’s murderous agents. His leadership then was openly accused of collecting millions of naira from Emeka Offor to fight the Mbadinuju’s administration. Again he was vindicated at the end.

It was also hell under Dr. Chris Ngige. Only recently, a security operative, who worked under Dr. Chris Ngige, revealed to this Society that Comrade Umeagbalasi was given a “prerogative of death” by Dr. Ngige himself in 2005, but Comrade Umeagbalasi was lucky to have survived. On the 6th day of June, 2003, Dr. Chris Ngige personally lodged a criminal complaint against Comrade Umeagbalasi and caused same to be addressed to then AC, State CID and then director of SSS and tasked them to treat him as a “treasonable felon” and a “seditionist”, simply because the Umeagbalasi’s leadership of the CLO condemned his process of coming to power.

In 2004, Dr. Chris Ngige, through his lawyer, Emeka Ngige, SAN, wrote to the CLO’s national headquarters, asking same to dissolve his State leadership, sack him from CLO and disclaim all his activities, after which he would be picked up and treated like a common criminal. As if these were not enough, Dr. Ngige wrote to the State SSS, demanding Comrade Umeagbalasi’s arrest, detention and prosecution as an arsonist (that he partook in Anambra’s mayhem of 2004), etc. Dr. Ngige also procured the then Southeast director of the CLO to undermine Comrade Umeagbalasi’s activities and to convince the CLO’s national leadership, vide a crooked report, to dismiss him.

When these crooked and uncivilized demands were rejected by the CLO national leadership for want of substance, Dr. Chris Ngige, in November 2004, approached an Awka High Court and sued the trustees of the CLO and Comrade Umeagbalasi, claiming that he, as the Anambra Governor, was libeled. He is demanding the payment of N3 billion “compensation”. Dr. Ngige abandoned the matter since 2004, only to dust it up in January 2009, in response to this Society’s insistence that he was never a former of Anambra State.

Also, the wild allegation of gratification against Comrade Umeagbalasi did not start today. The then Joseph Ofiadinu- led State PDP had made similar allegation during the Mbadinuju regime. In 2004, Chief Dan Ulasi- led PDP, alleged that “some CLO members had informed him that APGA and Mr. Peter Obi paid Comrade Umeagbalasi N4 million to cause confusion in Anambra State”. Even during the illegal impeachment in 2008 and the 2008 budget delay, similar allegations were made.

The Activist Philosophy Of Our Board Chairman:
It should be noted that the activities of Comrade Umeagbalasi as a human rights and pro- democracy crusader are rooted outside the confines of pecuniary, parochial and selfish interests. Apart from not been a gate crasher activist, he has consistently aired his opinion on several topical issues. From his heydays in the CLO to the Intersociety, which he founded, Comrade Umeagbalasi has since July 2008, carried out research activities on Anambra markets and communities’ crises, non- conduct of local government election, misconduct of Anambra Vigilance Services, extortionist and other atrocious acts by the Anambra State Police Command, the menace of kidnappers and other violent criminals etc. At national and international levels, Intersociety, under him, has had opinions on Alhaji Yar’Adua’s government of laziness and confusion and the menace of autocracy and dictatorship on African Continent, to mention but a few.

That some activists fell out with Mr. Peter Obi is not because of acute state of social toxemia, but because of sundry personal differences. Unfortunately for them, they are now “ounces of pure gold” to some desperate politicians. The antecedents of our Board Chairman are never predicated on “ounces of bloody gold” or “mercantilist activism”. Of course, if our Board Chairman is for sale, Mr. Peter Obi, with his widely acknowledged frugality, will certainly not be able to purchase him.
He knows the highest bidders, which include Dr. Chris Ngige, but he would rather die than to sell his conscience over pittances.

Let it be stated unequivocally that the fight for the recovery of Mr. Obi’s mandate was not for pecuniary interest. The battle to save Anambra State from the clutches of political lunatics, looters and plunderers is beyond Mr. Peter Obi and Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi. Unfortunately, our fellow activists do not mind dinning and winning with political wolves as long as they succeeded in settling personal scores with their imaginary enemies.
It is not in our culture to lie idle by the corner of our house when it is on fire, only to make noise when the fire has wrecked havoc. This explains our resilient vow not to embark on adventure of falsehood, where we will be telling lies and desecrating our conscience. For instance, if a governor tarred a road, we would say, it was there before he came on board, and if he built a secretariat, we would say, it was fenced before he came on board, when actually there was no fencing, even till date.

Our pure concept of activism is activism that is revolutionary; activism that clamours for good governance, accountability, rule of law, political tolerance, tangible and intangible sanity. Also, parameters of our activism are anchored on credible electioneering (credible revision of voters’ register, proper identification of polling booths, non-duplication of ballot papers and conduct of credible elections) and election of truly excellent people into public offices. Unfortunately, many politicians in Anambra State are not for credible elections, but shrine and godfather-inspired electoral tickets. The issues of party manifestoes and candidates’ hypothesis packages have long been abandoned.

Our Clarion Call:
On the strength of the foregoing, this Society suspects seriously that our Board Chairman may be targeted for assassination or abduction and cold blood murder, by Dr Chris Ngige and his cohorts. This revelation is very important considering the devilish antecedents of some Anambra politicians, who plot “kill and bury” style of political intolerance. As politicians of the South-south owe their allegiance to the Niger Delta militants, so do Anambra deadly politicians owe same to political brigandage.

We are particularly concerned about the safety of our Board Chairman. Just on the 19th day of February 2009, our Board Chairman’s town people resident in the UK and the USA, called and warned him to be conscious of how he moves about, because Dr. Chris Ngige’s camp may harm him anytime soon. Their pieces of advice were predicated on conversations they had with some of Dr. Ngige’s loyalists, who revealed that Dr. Ngige was “desperately uncomfortable”. Comrade Umeagbalasi’s town people were also the first to draw his attention to the said publication. As for UkpakaReport.Com, this Society, for now, will not join issues with same.

One of our grouses against Dr. Chris Ngige, till date, is his inability to be reformed politically despite what he went through. He has remained inarticulate and uncivilized. The electoral value he garnered as a result of his construction of 193 kilometers of road is being soiled. May this Society state firmly that should anything untoward happen to our Board Chairman, Dr. Chris Ngige and his cohorts shall be held liable. Also, let it be stated that we are not keen about Mr. Peter Obi’s second term, but his credible four year-term must be allowed to elapse, and if he is credibly chosen by Anambra voters, so be it. But if Anambra voters consciously and credibly choose another governor, we are bound to support their sacred decision.

Signed:

Chinedum Agwaramgbo, Esq.
For: Board of Trustees
International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) Anambra-Nigeria