THE ongoing impeachment of Enugu Deputy Governor, Sunday Onyebuchi, has suddenly developed a new political consciousness in the state. What is freely discussed in any gathering is the exercise with diverse opinions on why it should not succeed or succeed. This on its own is equally creating growing tension.
Government on its part has not helped matters, in fact, it had stoked the fire with renewed onslaught against the media, as it has on daily basis mopped up copies of newspapers that report the story of the ongoing impeachment, especially those they considered offensive.
The implication is that residents are denied opportunity of developments in the panel and this has increased the rumour mills. Residents who have watched helplessly this new wave of media onslaught have come up with the conclusion that the state government has some skeleton in its cupboard. The panel it could be recalled had barred the media from covering its proceedings, apparently on the orders of the government.
On Wednesday evening, however, the 7-man investigation panel headed by Uche Franklin Oraekenyi, a lawyer, which was inaugurated on August 6, formerly announced that it had concluded its investigation on the case and promised to make its findings and recommendations to the State House of Assembly.
Onyebuchi was the last to make submissions. The embattled deputy, who was tried for alleged gross misconduct and disobedience to official directives of the governor viz. operating a poultry farm at his official residence against the resolutions of the state House of Assembly on public health, refusal to represent the governor at the flag off of the second Niger bridge in Onitsha and refusal to represent the governor at the meeting of South East governors, resumed at the panel on Wednesday, to conclude his testimony after he slumped while doing so penultimate week.
It was more revealing and further exposed the. underbelly of dirty politics that thrive in the state as Onyebuchi told the panel how his boss, Governor Sullivan Chime also operated a bigger ‘poultry and piggery farms’ at his government house residence, using state resources.
He told the panel: “I am familiar with the agric unit government house, Enugu. From the gate of the government house, you have the office complex by the left, directly facing the gate is a poultry house, to the right is a cattle ranch, behind the poultry house is a piggery section. I have had something with the agric unit in the government house. I used to buy cow meat, chickens and eggs from the agric unit.”
He had tendered state government budgets from 2011 to 2014 to buttress his claims that millions of naira were not only allocated annually for upkeep of the unit, but also released, adding that it was a common sight to see herdsmen within the premises of the government house tending to cows.
“Between 2012 and 2013, I acted as the Acting governor of Enugu State, in my capacity as acting governor, I did something in respect of the agric unit. A memo was brought to me by the Chief of Staff to the governor requesting my approval for the sum of three million Naira for the purchase of consumables for government house poultry and piggery sections and I gave approval as requested.
“As at today, there is a poultry house in government house, Enugu, but I am aware that on Tuesday, August 5, 2014, the birds in the poultry were evacuated between 3pm and 12 midnight in anticipation of a possible visit by the panel,” he said.
What looked like corroboration to his claims had earlier being provided by the medical doctor at the government house clinic, Anthony Ogbonna, who had told the panel how the monkey and Ostrich allegedly belonging to the governor had gone wild on several occasions and attacked visitors to the government lodge.
A photographer attached to the Ebonyi State Government House and a female reporter with the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) were said to have been attacked by the animals while covering the Southeast governors meeting.
Dr. Ogbonna confirmed that the ostrich injured a police man, whose name and rank he said he could not remember except he saw his records. He said the ostrich came from the Governor’s lodge and attacked the police officer, who was later treated at the Government House medical Clinic.
But when told by Onyebuchi’s lawyer, Chief Chris Aghanwa that the ostrich inflicted serious head injury on the police officer, Ogbonna retorted: “There was a laceration that we stitched. It was not a head injury.”
Speaking about one of the staff at government house, Ebuka Abu, who was reportedly bitten by the Governor’s monkey that suddenly became violent, the doctor confirmed the incident, saying: “I am aware that somebody was attacked by a monkey,” adding that he was unaware of the victim’s name. He emphasised that both the monkey and the ostrich came from ‘the Governor’s compound’ before they attacked their targets.
Asked whether it was right to keep monkeys as pet considering that other medical doctors have said that monkey is one of the carriers of the dreaded Ebola disease, the medical director replied: “Yes. It is a domesticated monkey, adding that the wild monkeys are the cause of Ebola disease.”
He said: “After the incident of the monkey biting someone, the monkey was removed.”
Now, Onyebuchi’s revelation of the governor’s poultry and piggery farms as well as ranch at the government house being funded annually from the state budget has sent tongues wagging on where proceeds accruing from the venture are kept. This is going by millions of Naira being budgeted yearly for its upkeep. Pundits insist that unless the so claimed House of Assembly resolution of February 2012 prohibiting operation of livestock farms at neighbourhoods was targeted only at the deputy governor, otherwise the governor is liable for similar offence. They also called for probe of the allegation that the birds at the government house poultry was moved on August 5, over the anticipation that the place could be visited by the panel members.
Mr. Loveday Anuforo of the Civil Rights Concern had said: “I do not see the rationale behind the ongoing impeachment process if indeed this allegation is true because it means that the governor is guilty of the offence. You cannot be running a farm as big as this and you don’t account to the state, yet you use public resources to finance it. It is fraudulent and should be treated as such.
“ We should unearth the truth about the claim. Who is in charge of the proceeds and what are they being used for? There are people running the place whom I am sure also get paid from public resources; therefore, it will be very unreasonable to sweep the allegation under the carpet and I charge the panel to make a statement on this,” he said.
But Governor Chime does not see any reason anybody should believe his deputy or raise eyebrows over the poultry and piggery farms, as well as ranch, which he admitted exists at the Government House Agric Unit.
Explaining that his deputy raised the issue to deceive the public, he stated, “there is an agric unit in the government house where livestock are held for the use of government house. It has been in existence since government house was built and had served previous administrations. 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 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. So, if the unit as he (Onyebuchi) claims belongs to the governor, why should it form part of the state’s annual budget? Why would the deputy governor request the unit to slaughter cows for him from its livestock holding?” he queried.
Speaking through his Press Secretary, Chukwudi Achife, Chime added: “Now, the other question to ask is, since the deputy governor is fully aware of the existence of the 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 so, fully aware that running a commercial poultry within his residential premises, clearly violated government policy.”
Onyebuchi has, however, insisted that the farm unit at the government house was built at the same time with that of his official residence and had been operated by his predecessors. He added that he neither refused nor intimidated officials of the State Capital Territory Development Authority sent to carry out the evacuation of the birds in his poultry on January 27, 2014.
“I have never been present at any executive council meeting where the resolution of the Enugu State House of Assembly dated February 12, 2013 with respect to maintenance of poultry was discussed,” he told the panel.
On the disobedience to official directives of the governor, especially the refusal to represent him at the flag off ceremony for the second Niger bridge at Onitsha and meeting of the South East governors held at Government House, Enugu, Onyebuchi provided documentary evidences to fault the claims.
“I attended the ceremony. I left my residence with my convoy at about 8am of that day. We left by 8am because the programme was scheduled to start by 10.00am and we got to the Onitsha venue of the programme before 10.00am. I entered the hall and saw where a seat was reserved for me. I protested that it was not appropriate for me to sit there. I was told that they had information that my governor would not be attending and that only the governors would sit with the president. I, now, took a sit that was at the front row, where Anambra Governor elect then, Willy Obiano, Peter Obi’s wife, Chief Victor Umeh, his wife and then Anambra Deputy governor, Emeka Sibudu and the incumbent Deputy Nkem Okeke sat,” stressing that he remained till the end of the programme.
He tendered a video coverage of the event recorded by the African Independent Television (AIT) to the panel, which was admitted in evidence.
Faulting the claim that he refused to attend the South East governors meeting, he said he was never informed, either orally or in writing by the governor to do so, stressing that it has never been in the practice in the last seven years that the governor would pass directives to him through a third party.
“Around 8.00pm on July 5, 2014, Director of Protocol, Emeka Asogwa called me on phone and asked if I would represent the governor at the meeting of South East Governors’ Forum scheduled the next day since the governor was on vacation. I reminded him of the rules and that I will do so, if I am asked by the governor. He said he would get back to me. Around 9.45pm of same day, he came to my house to inform me that I should represent the governor.
“I told him to please call the governor so that I will hear from him and also ask him what I will say at the meeting. He said he will not do that at that particular time and I told him it was wrong to take action without hearing from the governor. He agreed with me and left. It was inside this panel sitting that I heard from Asogwa that he sent a manifest. I will say he did not send any manifest to me because since 2007, this would be the first time there would be a governor’s manifest when the governor is on vacation. It never happened, it is forged. When the governor was on vacation in 2012 and 2013, the manifests he (Protocol) prepared read “Acting Governor’s manifest,” not the
Governor,” Onyebuchi said.
Onyebuchi, who further confirmed the lies peddled by the Director of Protocol by tendering the call data record of June 5 from the MTN to the panel, which was admitted in evidence.
The embattled Deputy had told the panel that his problem with Chime was not on the issues raised, but his declaration of interest in the Enugu East senatorial seat, which he (Chime) has allegedly reserved for his Chief of Staff, Mrs. Ifeoma Nwobodo.
“On July 16, 2014, I went to the governor’s office to inform him of my intention to travel out of the country for six days and he asked me to give him one reason he should approve it. I told him I did not know of any reason. He said I did not represent him at the South East Governor’s meeting. I told him he never instructed me to do so and he said I should resign immediately from office or he will make life miserable for me. I told him not representing him at that meeting was not enough for me to resign. He said there are other reasons; that while he was on vacation in 2012 and 2013 that I suggested to him to remove his Chief of Staff, Mrs. Ifeoma Nwobodo from office, that I was interacting with his enemies, all these took place in the presence of his Special Adviser on Intergovernmental affairs, Mrs. Rita Mba.
“I said: ‘Sir please may I explain,’ and he said if I did not leave his office immediately, he would call the security men to carry me out of the government house; but this was after I told him that I noticed a hostile attitude from him since the day I informed him of my intention to contest for the Enugu East senatorial seat. He repeated the threat and I left his office. I have no reason to resign as deputy governor. I have done nothing to deserve removal. I have for the past seven years and two months carried out all that is assigned to me diligently, efficiently and effectively to the admiration of the governor and people of the state. I have not in any way breached my oath of office. I have displayed obedience even to the point of slavishness or stupidity, but I am happy that no serious allegations, especially any bothering on financial impropriety, corruption, and fraud have been leveled against me. I am happy that no accusation of lack of capacity or incompetence in carrying out my functions was leveled against me.
“I decided to appear before this panel and risk being impeached rather than resign because I am convinced that in Nigeria today we can still find men and women who will stand on the side of truth and justice,” Onyebuchi added.
Those who have followed Enugu politics say that the present development is the last effort to perpetually see Onyebuchi out of power ‘being the only Ebeano man still left in the government of Enugu State.” He cannot again rock on the same boat with Mrs. Nwobodo, who has become a power broker in the Chime’s kitchen cabinet.
Now the pendulum is on the side of the panel, which many believe may hardly differ from the determined agenda of pronouncing Onyebuchi guilty. What report would they want the residents of the state to believe in this matter?
State Chief Judge, Justice Innocent Umezurike, while constituting the 7-man panel on August 6 had washed his hands off the goings on when he reminded the members that ‘the glue, which holds them together is their uncommon integrity and non-partisanship in political activities,’ adding that ‘with this coalescence of chemistry and symmetry, I am entitled to hope that you would discharge your functions without fear or favour … you must conduct yourselves like Caesar’s wife.”
Other members of the panel include Pastor Uruakanwa Oko, Elder Nnamdi Martin Onyewuru, Bar. Marcel Ebele Eze, Mrs. Promise Mercy Anyim, Okwuchukwu Perfectus and Dr. Anthony Igu while Bar. Vincent Anieke is the Secretary.
However it is looked at, the decision of the panel will make an impact in the 2015 politics of the state, which is gradually gathering momentum. The Guardian
