Former Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has cautioned the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Anambra State, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, against using his name or image for political campaigns.
Ngige issued the warning after campaign posters surfaced online bearing his photograph alongside that of Ukachukwu and his running mate, Senator Uche Ekwunife, ahead of the November 8, 2025 governorship election.
In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media Affairs, Hyggy Obialo, and made available to journalists on Tuesday, Ngige described the act as misleading and stressed that he has stepped back from active partisan politics.
“Our attention has been drawn to the online poster in circulation with the photograph of our principal, His Excellency, Senator Chris Nwabueze Ngige, ‘Onwa-na-etiliora’, featuring together with the Anambra State APC governorship candidate, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu and his deputy, Senator Uche Ekwunife,” the statement read.
“We want to use this medium to inform the general public that neither the consent nor approval of our principal was sought and/or obtained, respectively, before the said publication was disseminated to the general public.”
Obialo further noted that Ngige, who served as Governor of Anambra State from 2003 to 2006, represented Anambra Central Senatorial District between 2011 and 2015, and held the Labour and Employment ministerial portfolio from 2015 to 2023, is currently on a “political sabbatical.”
“Senator Chris Nwabueze Ngige is on sabbatical from active partisan politics for now as he is taking his well-deserved rest after 25 years of active partisan politics and public service. We, therefore, advise the perpetrators to respect the wishes of our principal, who has indicated in many fora that he is out of partisan politics for now,” the statement added.
