My ordeal at Chime’s hands, by estranged wife

The estranged wife of the Enugu State
Governor,Mrs Clara Chime, went on air
yesterday and recounted her ordeal in
confinement at the Government House,Enugu.
Speaking in Channels Television,Mrs Chime
said she “ suffered from depression and the
treatment I got from my husband led to it.”

But she denied having mental problem.
Mrs.Chime who has moved out of Government
House said she is “now liberated” and thanked
Nigerians for their support while her ordeal
lasted.

She said: “He (Gov.Chime) accused me of so
many things,like he told the whole world that I
had mental problem;he told people that my
friends are into diabolical stuff.
“I don’t know where he got that from.That is
why I don’t know what to say about my
husband.

“All I can tell him is that I wish him all the
best in this life and the life to come because
he is the father of my son.”
She said she was happy to regain her freedom.
“I’m just happy. I just couldn’t believe that
one day I would be myself or be happy this
way.

“I’ve gained a lot of weight. I’m going to get
back to my normal size.It’s the drug that they
gave me that caused this.The doctor in the UK
told me that it was wrong medication because
that is not what I’m suffering from.

“I’m suffering from reactive depression.If your
husband is not there for you, nobody is there
for you,my dear you will break down.”

Her case blew into the open after she
contacted Lagos lawyer, Mr.Femi Falan (SAN),
and the National Human Rights Commision
(NHRC) to get her out of confinement.
The Chief Press Secretary to the
Governor,Mr.Chukwudi Achife, could not be
reached yesterday. His phone was switched
off.

The Commissioner for Information,Mr.Chuks
Ugwoke, declined comments as he did not
watch the programme.But he said government
might respond if her comments deserve
comments.
Governor Sullivan Chime at an interactive
session with newsmen in Enugu in November
denied imprisoning her.
He said Clara “has some medical challenges
and it would be very unkind of me to talk
about her condition on the pages of
newspapers.”

He added: “We’ve been battling her health
challenges prior to my inauguration in 2011.It
was so bad at a time that she had to be taken
out of the Governor’s Lodge for treatment.

He said that some people were out to “exploit
her situation to drag me into a needless war
of words.”