Former Governor of the old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo, has denied any involvement of his wife, Pat, in the demolition of a building owned by Pastor Basil Ogbuanu at the Patson Estate, Independence Layout, Enugu.
Ogbuanu had earlier alleged that Mrs. Nwobodo orchestrated the demolition of his property, which was still under construction.
In a statement made available to PUNCH Metro on Tuesday, Nwobodo dismissed the claims, attributing the dispute to unauthorised construction and breaches of estate regulations by the cleric.
According to the former governor, tensions escalated on January 16, 2026, when his wife visited the estate with a landscape architect and a police orderly for a routine inspection. Nwobodo alleged that the team was prevented from leaving after the estate gates were locked.
“My wife and the group were subjected to a tense situation. The police officer accompanying them was physically assaulted, and his uniform was torn,” he said, adding that police intervention was required to secure the premises.
Nwobodo stated that following the confrontation, Ogbuanu was intercepted by police operatives at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport while attempting to travel to Lagos. The cleric was later taken to the Independence Layout Police Station and arraigned in court over alleged illegal construction and other property-related offences.
The former governor further claimed that Ogbuanu continued construction despite being informed that the property titles were under review due to changes in government land-use regulations. Nwobodo noted that he had even offered the pastor a refund, which was declined.
Expressing disappointment over the allegations against his wife, Nwobodo insisted that she had acted in good faith to uphold estate management rules.
“I am at a loss as to why Ogbuanu would implicate my wife. She has been supportive, yet he has repaid her by falsely accusing her of involvement in the demolition,” he said.
He also alleged that investigations revealed Ogbuanu had ignored multiple government directives to halt unauthorized construction, causing concern among estate residents.
The former governor, however, did not clarify who ordered the demolition of the property reportedly worth millions of naira, despite having sold it to the pastor.