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.

Its better this people rescind the decision of impeaching this man because the effects wont be as simple as they are thinking.

LETS WATCH AND SEE.