Ex Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim Celebrates His 57th Birthday Today

Anyim Pius Anyim (born 19 February 1961) is a Nigerian politician who served as the President of Nigerian senate and was the immediate-past Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). He was elected as national Senator on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) platform in 1999 for the Ebonyi South constituency of Ebonyi State. He was appointed Senate President in August 2000.

Anyim took office in the Senate in May 1999, and was appointed President of the Senate in August 2000, after Chuba Okadigbo had been impeached, holding office until May 2003.

In May 2001, Anyim declared that the upper legislative house was justified in probing the activities of the Mines and Power Ministry during the tenure of Chief Bola Ige. In June 2002, an attempt led by Anyim to impeach President Olusegun Obasanjo collapsed. Speaking a year later, Anyim said President Olusegun Obasanjo misunderstood him on certain issues but there was no conflict between them. In August 2002 he said he was opposed to all the present office holders – including himself – going for a second term.

In November 2002 Anyim indefinitely suspended Senator Arthur Nzeribe of Imo State due to an allegation of a N22 million fraud. Nzeribe was said to be planning an impeachment motion against Anyim.[8] The same month, after Anyim had complained about the Independent Corruption Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Senate set up a committee to examine the continued relevance of the commission. In May 2003, Anyim warned an Abuja High Court judge, Justice Egbo Egbo, that the parliament had the power to order his arrest over his opposition to the passage of the anti-graft ICPC law by the Senate.

Later career
Anyim did not seek reelection in 2003, knowing fully well that under Obasanjo’s watch, he would lose and lose his deposit in the process. Therefore, instead of contesting, he mobilised resources for ANPP candidates in Ebonyi State to challenge his own party. Some time after leaving office, his private house in Abuja was partially pulled down for violating the Abuja master plan. As a Senate President, Senator Anyim fought the sitting Governor of Ebonyi State, Samuel Ominyi Egwu, to a stand still and Anyim’s village boiled. The conflict between the duo was so primitive that on a particularly low point, Anyim’s mock coffin was paraded around Abakaliki, the state capital. Now as SGF, there is a palpable uneasy relationship between Anyim and the incumbent Governor of Ebonyi State, Martin Elechi. Anyim’s village is boiling, with several indigenes on exile. He has been appointed by the Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan to head the Centenary celebration of the proclamation of Nigeria as a nation by colonial Britain.