Why I Tried to Rush Out of Nigeria After Handover, Former Anambra Governor Gives Important Reason
- The former governor of Anambra state, Willie Obiano has shared a detailed revelation about his planned move abroad
- In a recent interview with a national daily, Obiano disclosed that he hurriedly left the handover ceremony in a bid to keep up with his doctor's appointment
- Meanwhile, EFCC operatives pounced on the embattled politician hours after he lost the constitutional immunity shielding him from prosecution while in office
The immediate past governor of Anambra state, Willie Obiano, has explained why he tried to leave Nigeria on Thursday, March 17, the same day he handed over to his successor, Chukwuma Soludo.
In an exclusive interview with Premium Times on Saturday, March 26, Obiano, through his lawyer, Patrick Ikwueto (a Senior Advocate of Nigeria), said he was not fleeing Nigeria.
Source: Facebook
Obiano explains
He said he was rather hurrying to keep a doctor’s appointment to treat a “semi fatal condition”.
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“He was not running away,” Mr Ikwueto said. “Why will he run away when his family is here and he has a lot to do here? The fact is that he (Obiano) has a medical condition for which he had a prior appointment to see his Specialist Doctor for treatment at Spring Creek Urology Specialists LLC, Houston, Texas, U.S.A.”
Mr Ikwueto said the former governor had since mid last year received treatment at the U.S. medical facility every three months.
The lawyer said:
“The last time he was there was December 2021 and became due for another round of treatment this March shortly before he handed over to Soludo."
Mr Ikwueto declined to disclose the exact ailment Mr Obiano is treating but the news outlet learnt the former governor was diagnosed with prostate cancer early last year.
“He (Obiano) was lucky that the disease was detected on time. It was still at an early stage when he was diagnosed last year,” said a source familiar with the former governor’s medical condition. He asked not to be named because he had no permission to discuss “private and confidential matters” concerning Mr Obiano.
Obiano and permission to travel
Mr Ikwueto also said Mr Obiano got permission from federal authorities to travel for urgent medical treatment and that the former governor was surprised that after he was given assurance that he could proceed on his trip, he was blocked at the airport.
Obiano contacted AGF
But independent findings by the news outlet indicate it was the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, that Mr Obiano contacted.
Mr Malami reportedly told him to proceed on his trip and promised to advise the EFCC to suspend action on his case until his return from the United States.
After granting Obiano bail, EFCC takes very painful action against ex-governor
Meanwhile, the former governor of Anambra state, Willie Obiano, wasstill under the eagle lens of the EFCC.
Hours after granting the embattled former governor bail, the anti-graft commission was said to have sealed some mansions allegedly traced to him at Ngozika Estate in Awka, the state capital.
Buildings in the massive estate said to belong to Obiano had been sealed with the ‘EFCC, Keep Off. Under Investigation’ notice on their walls by the EFCC.
At the moment, Obiano cannot leave the country because the agency has seized his passport since he was still under close investigation.
He looks unhappy: Video of Obiano drinking bottled water in EFCC office
Meanwhile, activist and convener of Concerned Nigerians, Deji Adeyanju, had shared a video of Obiano drinking bottled water while in the custody of the EFCC.
Adeyanjo who shared the video on his Facebook page accompanied it with a caption that read: Ex Anambra governor in EFCC custody. When you are in power be careful.
Source: Legit.ng
