AWKA— TWENTY-FOUR hours after an Anambra State High Court sitting in Awka asked the police to restore the security aides of embattled Governor Chris Ngige, the police were, last night, yet to comply. The governor himself remained in hiding but sent words to citizens of the state to avoid violence.
He got a supporter in the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) which yesterday spoke of its intention to organise a rally in support of democracy in the state, and denounced moves to “humiliate” the governor.
Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Mike Balonwu, also addressing newsmen in Awka warned that the legislature might be forced to ask the people to “take their destiny in their own hands.”
The state police command, responding to questions on why the governor’s security personnel had not been restored as directed by the Anambra High Court, said it was awaiting an order to that effect.
Spokesman for the command, Mr. Kolapo Sofoluwe, said on telephone that until the Force Headquarters directed otherwise, the withdrawal of the security aides remained in force. For much of yesterday, security men were not sighted at Government House and the Governor’s Lodge for the second day running.
Hundreds of Governor Ngige’s supporters were, however, at Government House to solidarise with him. Women supporters even performed what they called traditional burial rites of President Olusegun Obasanjo for, according to them, instigating the political crisis. They sang, condemning the president.
Scores of civil servants also kept away from work, unsure of what might happen.
Amidist the confusion, Speaker, Anambra House of Assembly, Mr Mike Balonwu, addressed newsmen, slamming President Obasanjo and the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun. He threatened that if “due respect as enshrined in the constitution is not immediately accorded and returned to the Government of Anambra State, the House might be forced to call the entire people to rise and take their destiny in their own hands.”
Mr. Balonwu, who said he was speaking for 26 of the 30 members of the House behind the governor, described the Enugu High Court order as “spurious, manifestly illegal and unconstitutional.”

Balonwu alleged that the in itiator of the Enugu Court order, Mr. Nelson Achukwu, committed perjury by claiming that the was at the Okpara Square, Enugu, venue of the PDP South-East zonal congress when he was not at the venue.
The Assembly, he said, would hold President Obasanjo responsible should anarchy break out in the state because of his alleged support for a band of treasury looters and rascals of known pedigree.”
Continuing, Mr Balonwu said: “The Inspector-General of Police, who is a lawyer and defendant in the said suit filed by Dr. Chris Ngige, proceeded to enforce the said spurious, manifestly illegal and unconstitutional order of Enugu State High Court.
This, he did by infringing on the constitutional immunity of His Excellency, Governor Chris Ngige by withdrawing his security paraphernalia of office.
“Mr Tafa Balogun, as Inspector-General of Police and a lawyer knows that there were still two stages of appeal in the Appeal Court and then Supreme Court. Yet, acting on the ever-present orders from above insisted that he was proceeding to enforce the said order in spite of the fact that he was duly informed that an appeal had been filed in respect of the order.
“Yet, this same Inspector-General of Police has blatantly refused to arrest and prosecute those who perpetrated the felony of forcefully attempting to overthrow a democratically elected Government in Anambra State. This is the same Inspector-General of Police who has stubbornly refused to execute the warrant of arrest issued by a court of competent jurisdiction against Mr. Chris Uba and his July 10, 2003 co-conspirators. This is the same Inspector-General of Police who till date has not withdrawn the over 20 mobile policemen he (allegedly) handed over as errands boys to Mr Uba.
“We wish to finally state that if due respect as enshrined in the constitution, which is the ground norm of Nigeria, is not immediately accorded and returned to the government of Anambra State, we shall ask the people of Anambra State, indeed the Igbo nation, to rise and take their destiny in their own hands,” the speaker said.
Balonwu warned that the situation should not be allowed to denigrate into what happened in the old Western Region which led to “near disintegration of Nigeria.”

*NLC to hold rally

Meanwhile, the NLC said yesterday that it would organise a solidarity rally in support of democracy in Anambra State. President of the NLC, Mr. Oshiomhole, said the Central Working Commitee which has proposed the rally for the ratification of the national executive council meeting scheduled for Abeokuta, Ogun State said it was in support of the people of Anambra and defend justice. He described the situation in Anambra State as “a rape of the Nigerian constitution.”
He said: “The CWC seriously frowns at this selective application of justice in the Anambra crisis which has clearly abused the judicial process and ridiculed pronouncements of judges.” The NLC asked the Chief Justice of the Federation “to rise to the occasion and save the judiciary from this periodic abuse and humiliation.” Oshiomhole advised the police “not to engage in the subversion of justice and the rule of law.”
He said “the implication of the Anambra crisis on the polity is severe and costly to democracy.” The NLC president said: “The Congress may initiate protests in the South-East to protest this situation,” for, according to him, “the issues in Anambra State are those of the defence of democracy, separation of powers and due process. Nigerians must rise in unison.”
He noted that “the Anambra State case has over-heated the polity and diverted the attention of the state from issues of development. This was not the promise of democracy.”