The Chairman and director-general of Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council in Anambra State, Senator Ben Obi, has again disclosed how he exposed the third term project of former President Olusegun Obasanjo on his return to the Senate shortly after reclaiming his stolen mandate.
Sen. Obi who represented Anambra Central in the fifth Senate, equally narrated how his mandate alongside others was stolen by the administration of former president Obasanjo.
He spoke in Abuja at the 70th birthday of a legal luminary and philanthropist, Amobi Nzelu, where prominent politicians and dignitaries including the Chief Whip of the Senate, Dr. Orji Kalu, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation(SGF), Boss Mustapha, senator Pius Anyim and Chief Chukwuma- Machukwu Ume, SAN.
The Anambra State born politician who recalled his unpleasant political relationship with the former president, narrated how after winning both the primary of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), and general election unopposed, his mandate was hijacked by Obasanjo and given to one Ikechukwu Anya, who was not even a contestant for the Senate seat at the primary but a governorship aspirant.
“That was how I spent two years in courts. But before going to court, I told President Obasanjo that his actions were not fair – that I won both my primary and general elections unopposed. I told him I was going to fight the injustice and he said I should go ahead.
” In my own case, there were 33 rulings in three years and I won all of them. Nine judgments were also delivered unanimously in my favour.
“So when I came into the Senate, together with my team of lawyers including Chief Chris Uche SAN and Amobi Nzelu, (the celebrant), I announced that the Eagle has landed.
” That was when I exposed the third term project, because I was in the system and so I knew about it. That is when we started the battle against it and thank God, we successfully battled the project and killed it.
“Even people in the office of the President(Obasanjo) were jumping and jubilating that the project was killed, because, it would have destroyed our democracy.”
He revealed that it was Amobi Nzelu who prepared the legal briefs that rescued the mandate that was stolen by the President Obasanjo led administration.
“It was when Amobi had prepared the briefs that I went to Chief Chimeze Ikpeazor (SAN), (of blessed memory) and the late Clement Akpamgbo (SAN).
” Amobi played a major role and did a wonderful job as the man who prepared the briefs that we used to win that battle from day one, ” he revealed.
Meanwhile, Senator has enjoined Nigerians to work together to rebuild the country inrespective of political party affiliations.
On his part, the celebrant, Amobi Nzelu has expressed the need to rejig the legal profession in order to redeem its battered image.
“Lawyers today are not thorough as they are after what they can get and not delivery in court. They don’t want to understudy the seniors and know how to cross the Ts and the Is.
” In the next six months, I will be 43 years as a lawyer. I was called since 1980 and we were only 392 that were called to the bar. Today, they chunked them in 2000 to 3000.
“The legal profession is the hope of an ordinary man. But its not so now. It is cash and carry. And I say it with amount of seriousness that what is happening today in the judiciary calls for concern.
” Various conflicting judgments from courts of coordinate jurisdiction. One says A in Anambra and another say B in Abuja on the same subject matter. I thank the National Judicial Council, NJC for trying to instill discipline in the profession.”
On the secret of his longevity, he attributed it to service to God and mankind.
Other dignitaries who graced the crowded event were legal luminaries, politicians, traditional rulers and captains of industries.
