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Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Politics / Impeachment: Why I'm Being Impeached Enugu Deputy Governor (791 Views)
BREAKING: Ifeanyi Nwoye Emerges New Enugu Deputy Governor. / Breaking News: Enugu Deputy Governor Slumps At Impeachment Panel / Chime: Resign Or Face 'hell', Enugu Deputy Gov Faces Impeachment (2) (3) (4)
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Impeachment: Why I'm Being Impeached Enugu Deputy Governor by wilsanchez10(m): 5:20pm On Aug 25, 2014 |
Impeachment: Why I’m being persecuted – Enugu Dep Gov on august 24, 2014 at 5:23 pm in politics Facebook Share Twitter Share By Tony Edike ENUGU—EMBATTLED Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, has said that his problem with Governor Sullivan Chime which led to the impeachment proceeding against him began the moment he expressed interest to contest Enugu East senatorial seat in 2015. He told reporters in an interview in Enugu that the governor became uncomfortable with his senatorial ambition, following the positive response and encouragement he got from those he consulted about his political ambition. Onyebuchi: Chime asked me to take all instructions given by Mrs. Nwobodo Onyebuchi spoke even as the state government described as false and misleading claims that Governor Sullivan Chime operated a poultry and piggery at Government House. In a statement by Chukwudi Achife, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Chime, yesterday, the government said the deputy governor’s claims were malicious and intended to deceive the public. The deputy governor, who said he was able to give a convincing response to the various allegations leveled against him by the State House of Assembly, insisted that the only offence he committed was his decision to seek election into the Senate against the preferred candidate of the governor. His words: “My problem started when I expressed interest to contest for the senate seat of Enugu East Senatorial zone, coincidentally against the preferred candidate of the governor. Initially, they didn’t know I will make any impact, they felt they had everything, but when I started making consultations, people I never expected started giving me encouragement and support. Governor uncomfortable “He (the governor) became uncomfortable. There was a time I received information from somebody that if I did not step down, this move will be made against me. “So I did not believe it and I made it clear before now that it was from the day I expressed interest that I started noticing some hostile attitude from the governor . “So it is not about chicken because when they said chicken, they removed the chicken, they did not give me the proceeds of the chicken or tell me where it is and I did not complain. “They saw that I was in Onitsha and could not provide any evidence that the governor instructed me, what they did was to go and forge a manifest backdated and you know when the governor is on vacation, you cannot have his manifest, but they mistakenly got a manifest, backdated it and labeled it governor’s manifest when the governor was on vacation. “So I believe the team of my lawyers has made a very good case and I believe that the ball is now in the court of the members of the panel. “Like I said earlier, it is for them to choose whether they will stand on the side of the truth which is what the people of Enugu are calling for or to stand on the side of the saying that might is right and that he who holds the power must be right and the weaker person must be wrong; therefore I was wrong. “If that is done, it is okay because I have said it repeatedly as a Christian that nothing happens without God knowing about it and the best thing for me is not being impeached by God. Why he did not resign “So I said I am confident that I should have nothing to fear, that’s why I did not take the option of resigning, believing that if the panel of man impeaches me, I will get justice from the panel of God which is the Supreme panel. “There is no court higher than that, the judgment may not come when we want but it will eventually come unless we don’t profess to be Christians. So I am confident that truth will prevail if not now, later, but I am not afraid.” Onyebuchi said it was not true that he planned to defect to All Progressives Congress, APC, if he did not clinch the senatorial ticket of the People’s Democratic Party, saying as a good party loyalist and having benefited from the PDP, he would not turn his back on the party. Good party loyalist “I am a good party loyalist and it is the PDP that brought me where I am and I don’t have any reason to turn my back on the PDP. I will remain with the PDP whether I am contesting or not, I will not turn my back on the party that brought me to where I am. “If they want to remove me because they suspect that I may join another party, removing me under this circumstance will even make me bitter enough to want to join another party. But I am saying that I will not, because I owe something to PDP and will remain in PDP to pay that debt,” he said. However, in a swift reaction to the deputy governor’s claim that the governor also operated poultry and piggery at Government House with funds appropriated by the State House of Assembly, the government said his claims were false and misleading. It explained that “while the government maintains an Agric unit as part of Government House structure where livestock are kept for slaughter to serve the needs of the staff as well as both the governor and deputy governor’s premises, the unit was neither operated nor owned by the governor.” The statement: “Our attention has been drawn to media reports credited to the Deputy Governor in which he alleged that Governor Chime owns a poultry and a piggery inside the Government House. Much as we would not want to join issues with His Excellency, the Deputy Governor (Onyebuchi), it has become necessary for us to put the records straight. “The Deputy Governor’s claims that Governor Chime runs poultry in the Government is most unfortunate and surprising. This is because it is patently untrue and the Deputy Governor knows better. The truth is that there is an Agric Unit in the Government House where livestock are held for the use of the Government House. It has been in existence since the Government House was built and had served previous administrations in Enugu. It is neither commercially operated nor is it owned by the Governor. “The unit is manned by civil servants including a veterinary doctor. Funds for its maintenance are provided for in the annual budget of the Government. The unit also serves the Deputy Governor. As a matter of fact, staff of the unit slaughtered a cow from the unit at the request of the Deputy Governor on August 4, 2014. So, if as the unit as he (Onyebuchi) erroneously claims belongs to the Governor, why should it form part of the state’s annual budgets? Why would the Deputy Governor request the unit to slaughter cows for him from its livestock holding? “It is important to clarify that the said Agric unit is not within the Governor’s residential premises but a unit in Government House which has other units like the Press unit, Drivers unit, among others. “The Agric unit serves the purpose of holding livestock for periodic slaughter for use by Government House staff, the Governor’s lodge and the deputy governor’s lodge. It was on the strength of this fact that he (Onyebuchi) requested the staff of the unit to slaughter a cow for him from the unit’s holding on August 4, 2014, and this was done. “Now, the other question to ask is, since the deputy governor is fully aware of the existence of this unit and benefits from its services, why was he operating another one? “The truth, however, is that he was operating a commercial poultry with his own staff, including as he admitted in his evidence, a marketing manager. “The poultry in his residential quarters was relocated after he refused all official entreaties to do some, fully aware that running a commercial poultry within his residential premises, clearly violated an policy of government. “So, why would the state’s number two citizen violate a policy made by his own government?” Meanwhile, on Onyebuchi’s claims on what transpired between the panel and counsel to the parties on the day he slumped, it will be recalled that Mr. Nduka Ikeyi, counsel to Enugu State House of Assembly at the panel investigating the allegations of gross misconduct against the deputy governor, had clarified the events, contrary to what some sections of the press deliberately chose to report. Speaking to reporters in Enugu, Mr. Ikeyi noted that some of the news reports on the proceedings had been “ most inaccurate and full of conjectures” adding that there also appeared to be a deliberate effort to exclude reportage of evidence considered damaging to the deputy governor’s defence. According to him, none of the reports has so far reflected the evidence given by witnesses to the House of Assembly, nor did they reflect evidence elicited under cross-examination from the deputy governor’s witnesses. Regarding the inaccuracy of the reports, Ikeyi said it was, for example, completely untrue, as reported in some newspapers that the panel continued proceedings after the deputy governor slumped on Wednesday, while being led in evidence by his counsel, Mr. Peter Eze. He said contrary to the report, the panel rose immediately the deputy governor was rushed out of the court room, and later invited counsel on both sides to discuss how to deal with the situation. According to him, it was then agreed that the panel should resume by 2pm to receive a report on the doctor’s evaluation of the deputy governor’s condition. “When the Panel resumed sitting at 2pm, Chief Chris Aghanwa, lead counsel to the Deputy Governor tendered a report, which showed that the Deputy Governor had postural hypotension. Counsel to the Deputy Governor however asked that the matter be adjourned to Monday 18 August. “The panel, however, preferred to deal with the matter one day at a time; and directed the parties to return the following day (Thursday) to receive further update on the state of health of the deputy governor”. “On Thursday, August 14, counsel to the deputy governor reported that he was not yet in a condition to continue his testimony and once again applied for the matter to be adjourned to Monday, August 18 and further stated that the deputy governor would be his last witness, meaning that he would no longer require the evidence of the government officials whom he had earlier caused to be summoned” Mr. Ikeyi added that he responded that he did not object to the application for adjournment, but requested that since the His Excellency, the deputy governor was a public officer in Enugu State government, that the panel should obtain the opinion of a specialist cardiologist from a medical facility operated by the state government. He said that he did not, in any way, doubt the competence or objectivity of Dr. Anusiuba, who had seen the deputy governor immediately after the unfortunate incident, but added that Dr. Anisuba, who works at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, UNTH, however saw the deputy governor as his private patient and not as a patient of the UNTH. Mr. Ikeyi said that the Panel which he noted, had continued to show deep concern for the health of the deputy governor agreed with him and directed that a cardiologist from the ESUT Teaching Hospital be given access to evaluate the deputy governor and report back to the panel. He wondered where the persons who claimed that the panel rejected medical advice and insisted that “the deputy governor be brought back to the hearing immediately, even in a wheelchair or stretcher” got their story from. |
Re: Impeachment: Why I'm Being Impeached Enugu Deputy Governor by Dreal1247: 5:46pm On Aug 25, 2014 |
Its better this people rescind the decision of impeaching this man because the effects wont be as simple as they are thinking. |
Re: Impeachment: Why I'm Being Impeached Enugu Deputy Governor by osile2012: 5:58pm On Aug 25, 2014 |
LETS WATCH AND SEE.
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