A leading APC governorship aspirant in the Anambra governorship election fixed for November 2021, Andy Uba, is currently swimming in trouble, JomogNews Nigeria reports.
He is said to be heavily indebted to Heritage Bank.
Though the exact amount Uba owes the bank has not been made available, a credible source stated that the debt is in billions.
His indebtedness, insider confirms, has become huge source of worry to the bank executives so much so that the bank mobilized early on Monday, June 21 and stormed his Abuja residence to compel him to pay.
In a video that has gone viral, a voice, ostensibly one of the bank’s executives, was heard saying
“We are staff of Heritage Bank in Abuja and we are here Senator Andy’s house house in Abuja.
“He has been owing the bank for a couple of years now.
“We are here for a peaceful meeting with him to pay his loans which are depositors money.
“If this debt is not paid, staff will lose their jobs. We are here to appeal to him,” the obviously frustrated banker said.
A known face in the Nigerian political space, Andy Uba had won the Anambra state Governorship election in 2007 in a landslide victory and was sworn on May 27, 2007.
But the people of Anambra were stunned when on June 14, 2007, barely two weeks and three days after his swearing-in, Senator Andy Uba was removed from office by a judgement of the Supreme Court.
It was a judgement that spurred uproar in many quarters across the nation because many legal minds argued that the apex court, at that time, had no jurisdiction over the case.
Senator Uba, at the end, however, accepted the sad development and congratulated his opponent, Peter Obi, who became the bonafide governor.
This was after the soft-spoken Senator from Ugah in Anambra South Senatorial District had served President Olusegun Obasanjo as a senior aide in charge of domestic affairs.
The Presidential Villa position energized his political influence across the length and breadth of Nigeria.
It also upgraded him into the club of billionaires in cash and assets.
Subsequently, after the governorship failure, he, in April 2011, won the Senatorial election to represent his District. He did two terms and was in charge of lucrative and grade A committees like INEC.
He is currently in the governorship race which comes up on November 6, 2021 but the debt crisis may be the spoiler.
Born on 14 December 1958 in Enugu, Uba who attended the Boys High School in Awkunanaw and Concordia University is not fresh to controversies.
In the 2011 Senate election under PDP, he won with 63,316 votes, ahead of Chukwmaeze Nzeribe of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) with 43,798 and Senator Ikechukwu Obiorah of the Accord party with 24,724.
Uba’s election was challenged by Senator Obiora, the Accord candidate, who claimed that Uba had forged his West African School Certificate (WASC) and had not obtained any of the university degrees that he claimed.
The story of allegedly faked degrees dates back to a story written by two investigative reporters and published by The News in December 2006. Reporters claim that both Concordia and California State University said that although Uba enrolled, he did not graduate from either university.
Video:
Senator Andy Uba in trouble over debt he is owing @heritagebankplc pic.twitter.com/Jhz8Ap5LDu
— Jomog (@oguntayoomobola) June 21, 2021
