Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the last general elections, Mr. Peter Obi, on Monday told Labour and Employment Minister, Dr. Chris Ngige that he was too small to bring him (Obi) down.
Both former governors of Anambra are bickering over their achievements while in office.
Recall that Obi and Ngige contested the governorship of the state in 2003.
While Ngige ran under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Obi contested under the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.
After the election, Ngige was declared winner, however after three years of litigations, the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, upturned his victory and declared Obi winner.
Obi’s comments were in reaction to a publication credited to Ngige where he allegedly said he was ashamed of the quality of roads constructed by his successors, including Obi.
In a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Valentine Obienyem, Obi said Ngige’s achievements as governor of Anambra State were too little to erase his achievements and reputation before the people of Anambra State whom he served for eight years.
He therefore advised Ngige to concentrate on his ministerial responsibilities rather than wasting efforts trying to pull him down.
The statement partly read: “What is most condemnable in Ngige’s attacks are the lies he tells just to bring Obi down. How could he mention roads such as Abatete-Nteje-Aguleri-Otuocha road and Igboukwu-Ezenifite-Umunze, Iseeke roads and deliberately forgot that Obi did greater portions of those roads?
“Over 90 per cent of the roads, Ngige mentioned he built were done in his Local Government Area.”
It further noted that though Obi used local contractors to build roads during his reign as governor, major road contracts in the state were done by expatriates at the time.
“Knowing the importance of road maintenance, shortly before he left, Obi set up the Anambra State Road Maintenance Agency with full compliments of brand new equipment.
“He also left over N4bn in the Ministry of Works for road maintenance before he handed over,” it stressed.
Obienyem asked Ngige to stop comparing his tenure as Anambra State and that of Obi because he achieved little or nothing in his 33-month reign as governor of the state.
