Ex-Enugu Deputy Governor opens Up on His Impeachment

After three weeks of investigations, the panel set up to investigate allegations against Enugu State Deputy Governor, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi submitted its report to the State Assembly leading to his impeachment on Tuesday, August 26.Onyebuchi, who said he was out to prove his innocence, told newsmen few hours after he was impeached that it did not come to him as a surprise. He accused the panel of not hiding their bias throughout the period of its sitting. Thus he disclosed that his lawyers had been preparing and would
immediately challenge the impeachment in court.The impeached deputy governor insisted that the allegations against him were diversionary, claiming that his offence was his interest in the Enugu East senatorial position which, according to him, has been reserved for the Chief of Staff, Government House, Mrs. Ifeoma Nwobodo.
According to him: “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. He 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, back- dated it and labelled it governor’s manifest when the governor was on vacationI do not think that the impeachment took place today (Tuesday); for me it took place the day the panel was constituted and held their first sitting because from that day the panel could not hide their bias. You know what happened with the state House of Assembly when they signed my impeachment also happened with the panel when they were set up. Members of the assembly signed the impeachment before the allegations were made known to them; and I have had the opportunity to read the report of the panel. Yesterday (Monday) evening, a member of the panel reached me and told me that his conscience was disturbing him that he will reach me later to talk to me but he made available to me a copy of the report when I insisted that if he wants to reach me he should make available to me a copy of the report. So, I have had the opportunity of going through the report and I want to say that the report is as watery, as frivolous as the allegations themselves.

Anyone who has been following the proceedings will agree with me that the report was written by the government lawyer. So, I can say that I am not very surprised by the decision of the panel and I can also say that I am not disappointed. I would have been surprised if they had done anything differently. They had difficulty hiding their bias as I said. Any human being, who is doing anything honest and transparent, will naturally be happy to have it witnessed by the public, especially, the media. We have had so many impeachments in the past and I know that no panel has sat in camera because it’s not a secret thing. The allegations against me were read on the floor of the House before newsmen, so one would wonder why they chose to sit in camera if they intended to do anything honest or transparent..” He spoke further on this and more