Imagine winning a governorship election, being sworn in as governor, moving into Government House and beginning to enjoy the privileges of the office, only to be told less than three weeks later that you are no longer the governor.
That was the unusual political experience of Dr Andy Uba in Anambra State in 2007. His brief stay in office remains one of the most remarkable episodes in Nigeria’s political history.
But how did a man who had just won a governorship election lose his seat barely 17 days after taking the oath of office? To understand what happened, we have to go back to the political crisis that surrounded Anambra State several years earlier.
THE STORY BEGAN WITH THE 2003 GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION
In 2003, Anambra State held its governorship election, which was won by Chris Ngige of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), according to the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
However, Peter Obi, who contested the election under the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), rejected the result and challenged Ngige’s victory at the election petition tribunal.
After a lengthy legal battle, the tribunal ruled in favour of Peter Obi in August 2005, declaring that he had secured the majority of lawful votes cast in the election.
Chris Ngige appealed the judgment, but on March 15, 2006, the Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu upheld the tribunal’s decision.
Two days later, on March 17, 2006, Peter Obi was sworn in as the duly elected governor of Anambra State, almost three years after the original election.
PETER OBI WAS IMPEACHED, AND NIGERIA GOT ITS FIRST FEMALE GOVERNOR
Just when it appeared that Anambra State would finally enjoy some political stability, another crisis emerged.
On November 2, 2006, members of the Anambra State House of Assembly impeached Peter Obi, paving the way for his deputy, Dame Virginia Etiaba, to become governor.
Virginia Etiaba consequently made history as Nigeria’s first female governor.
However, Peter Obi challenged his impeachment in court, arguing that the process was unconstitutional.
On February 9, 2007, the Court of Appeal nullified his impeachment and ordered his reinstatement. Virginia Etiaba subsequently handed over power to him.
Peter Obi returned to Government House, but another major political battle was already waiting for him.
THE CONTROVERSIAL 2007 GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION
As the 2007 general elections approached, INEC included Anambra State in the governorship election scheduled for April 14, 2007.
Peter Obi disagreed with this decision.
His argument was that he had only taken the oath of office on March 17, 2006, following the court judgment that declared him the rightful winner of the 2003 election. Therefore, his constitutionally guaranteed four-year tenure had only just begun and could not be terminated by another governorship election in April 2007.
He approached the court, seeking an interpretation of the constitutional provision governing the tenure of a governor.
Despite the pending legal battle, INEC went ahead with the election.
Andy Uba, who contested under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), emerged as the winner of the April 2007 governorship election.
His victory was controversial. Human Rights Watch subsequently documented widespread electoral irregularities, intimidation and the fabrication of results during the 2007 elections in Anambra State.
Nevertheless, Andy Uba was recognised as the winner and prepared to take over the state’s leadership.
MAY 29, 2007: ANDY UBA BECOMES GOVERNOR
On May 29, 2007, Andy Uba was sworn in as the governor of Anambra State.
For him, it was the beginning of what should ordinarily have been a four-year administration.
However, Peter Obi had not given up his legal battle.
He continued pursuing his case through the judicial system, arguing that the April 2007 election should never have taken place because his tenure had not expired.
The matter eventually reached the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
JUNE 14, 2007: THE SUPREME COURT DELIVERS ITS JUDGMENT
On June 14, 2007, the Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment in Peter Obi’s favour.
The apex court ruled that Obi’s four-year tenure began on March 17, 2006, the day he took the oath of allegiance and oath of office.
The court explained that, under Section 180(2)(a) of the 1999 Constitution, the tenure of a governor first elected under the Constitution begins from the date he takes the required oaths.
Consequently, Peter Obi’s tenure was due to expire on March 17, 2010.
The Supreme Court therefore declared that the office of the governor of Anambra State was not vacant when Andy Uba was sworn in on May 29, 2007.
It ordered Andy Uba to vacate the office immediately to allow Peter Obi to complete his constitutionally guaranteed tenure.
And just like that, the governorship that Andy Uba had occupied for barely two and a half weeks came to an end.
THE END OF ANDY UBA’S 17-DAY GOVERNORSHIP
From May 29 to June 14, 2007, Andy Uba spent just 16 elapsed days in office. However, when both his inauguration day and the day the Supreme Court ended his tenure are counted, his stay covered 17 calendar days.
He had barely settled into the office before the Supreme Court judgment changed the course of Anambra State’s political history.
Peter Obi returned to office and continued his administration until March 17, 2010, when his first constitutionally calculated tenure came to an end.
He subsequently contested the February 2010 governorship election and won another four-year term.
WHAT HAPPENED TO ANDY UBA AFTERWARDS?
Andy Uba did not disappear from Nigerian politics after losing the governorship.
He remained politically active and later returned to elective office.
In 2011, he contested the Anambra South Senatorial District election under the PDP and won, becoming a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He served in the Senate from 2011 to 2019, completing two terms before losing his seat.
He also made another attempt to become Anambra State governor in 2021, this time under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but he did not win the election.
A REMARKABLE CHAPTER IN NIGERIA’S POLITICAL HISTORY
The Andy Uba episode remains a powerful reminder of how court judgments can change the direction of politics in Nigeria.
It also demonstrated that winning an election and being sworn into office do not automatically make a tenure constitutionally valid.
For Andy Uba, what should have been the beginning of a four-year administration became one of the shortest governorship tenures in Nigeria’s democratic history.
He became governor on May 29, 2007, and left office on June 14, 2007, following a Supreme Court judgment.
Seventeen calendar days. That was how long Andy Uba’s brief reign as governor of Anambra State lasted.
