Former Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju has passed on in the early hours of Tuesday, April 11, 2023. He died at 78 years old. The announcement of his demise was made by his son Cheta Chinwoke Mbadinuju.
Late Mbadinuju hailed from Uli in Ihiala local government area of Anambra State and was governor of Anambra State from 1999 to 2003. When his party then, the PDP, failed to give him a return ticket, he joined AD and contested, but was defeated by Dr. Chris Ngige in the 2003 General Election, before court judgment that sacked Ngige in 2006 paved way for Peter Obi.
As governor, Mbadinuju fought the fiercest war with his estranged godfather, which culminated in his failed attempt to return for second term. He would also be remembered for the over one full year industrial action by Anambra secondary school teachers when he was governor. But on the positive side, it was Mbadinuju that set the ground for democratic governance in Anambra state in 1999. He built the governor’s lodge in Amawbia and established all government structures needed for government to take-off when he assumed office in 1999.
Since leaving office in 2003, Mbadinuju lived a private life and was rarely seen at events and public functions. Also, he never contested for any election again, apparently due to the damage done to his reputation by his estranged allies, which can be said destroyed his political life.
Meanwhile, the governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo has condoled with his family and the entire people of Uli over the death of Mbadinuju. In a statement signed by the Press Secretary to the Governor, Christian Aburime, governor Soludo noted that ‘Odera’, as Mbadinuju was fondly called, “will be remembered for signing a law that created the Anambra State Vigilante Services, establishing Anambra State University, among many other legacies.”
He is a Technical Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano’s Special Adviser on Legislative Matters, whoonce was a Special Adviser to a former Deputy Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly. Ebuka is a second class upper division graduate of Political Science from University of Calabar, Calabar Nigeria and holds a Masters Degree in Political Science with specialization in Government and Development Studies, from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Nigeria
