US embassy cable - 04LAGOS260

UNCLAS LAGOS 000260 
 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON FOR GURNEY, PARIS FOR NEARY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, KDEM, NI 
SUBJECT: ANAMBRA UPDATE - JANUARY 30, 2004 
 
REF: A) LAGOS 124 B) 2003 LAGOS 2187 
 
Anambra - New twists in the continuing crisis 
 
1. (U)  The crisis of the Governor vs. the "godfather" 
continues to grind on in Anambra State.  There have been 
accusations that the GON, namely President Olusegun Obasanjo, 
is doing nothing to bring peace and order to Anambra, and, in 
fact, may be the main force stirring up trouble for Governor 
Chris Ngige.  Possibly in response to those charges, Senate 
President Adolphus Wabara has attempted to broker a truce 
between Ngige and his "godfather", millionaire Chris Uba. 
Wabara brought the two opponents together twice, in December 
and last week, along with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 
officials, prominent members of the Igbo community and local 
traditional rulers. The result of these meetings was the 
so-called "Owerri Peace Accords", reported to be heavily 
weighted in Uba's favor, but which allowed Ngige to remain in 
office. 
 
2. (U) Neither side respected the agreement.  Uba immediately 
got a friend on the high court in Enugu State to issue an 
order ousting Ngige from office.  The Ngige faction persuaded 
the Appeals Court to reverse the Enugu court and the Governor 
celebrated by choosing his own Deputy Governor -- in 
contravention of the "Peace Accords" which had given Uba the 
right to pick the Deputy Governor.  Meanwhile, back in the 
Senate, Wabara was swearing in a hand-picked "Implementation 
Committee" for the "Peace Accords." 
 
3. (U) All parties are behaving as if the crisis has been 
resolved in their respective favors.  The Inspector General 
of Police, Tafa Balogun, continues to resist all demands that 
he restore Ngige's police bodyguard that was taken from him 
by the Enugu court order.  Ngige travels around Anambra and 
Abuja with private bodyguards and is much photographed doing 
his gubernatorial duties -- handing out prizes at high 
schools, attending important weddings and funerals, 
appointing his cabinet.  Sometimes, he drives himself because 
he doesn't trust anyone to do it for him. Yesterday, his 
armored car reportedly broke down.  Uba, after a short 
vacation abroad, is back pulling strings and, allegedly, 
attempting to pay off federal legislators to get them to 
declare a state of emergency in Anambra and put him in power. 
 There are new players and court decisions every day and no 
final resolution in sight. 
 
Anambra - Police action: good, bad and otherwise 
 
4. (U) Inspector General Balogun announced January 27 the 
discovery of a large cache of illegal guns in the huge and 
sprawling Onitsha market.  The guns were discovered during 
the capture of six men described as burglars and two others 
said to be "arms dealers."  Along with the guns, police 
discovered blank gun license forms and blank Nigerian 
international passports.  A police spokesman told the 
Guardian newspaper that the police are not yet certain what 
the guns and official forms were being stockpiled for, but 
that "it was generally believed that they might be intended 
for no good."  Balogun issued a statement praising the 
Anambra police units and in the same statement said that his 
new program to fight corruption in the police force had 
resulted in the firing or prosecution for corruption of 
almost 900 policemen nationwide.  Sixty-five will be tried 
for extorting money ("dash") from motorists.  The saga 
continues. 
HINSON-JONES