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
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