The impeachment notice served on the
Enugu State Deputy Governor Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi might have come as a surprise
to many. Not because he has had the best of relationships with his governor,
but because both have pretentiously carried on for so many years as though all
was well.
Both men were the products of former
Governor Chimaroke Nnamani’s Ebeano political group. But while the governor
severed his relationship with his godfather shortly after taking over power the
deputy has maintained a close relationship with Nnamani.
This romance with the former governor has
continued to haunt the deputy governor who for years appeared to have been
relegated to a ‘figure head’ in the government.
What was left of the relationship between
the governor and his deputy was extinguished during the controversial lengthy
period between 2012 and 2013 when the governor travelled abroad on health
grounds. As expected, the governor did not hand over to his deputy leaving the
chief of staff Mrs. Ifeoma Nwobodo to run the government.
It was a period the whittled powers of the
deputy governor were laid bare as he had little or no role to play, just as he
struggled to convince close observers that all was well. There were allegations
then that he was holding meetings to take over the government, just as his camp
claimed that he was being starved of funds and his entitlements seized. That
was the first time the rumours of impeachment against him made the rounds.
Reticent Onyebuchi who had remained
‘asleep’ all the while, suddenly woke up one morning on January 28, 2014 when
his poultry, for which he is now facing impeachment was about to be demolished.
The deputy governor who looked ruffled
that morning, retorted in an informal chat with reporters; “All this years I
decided to become dumb, so that peace would reign. But now they have come to
demolish my poultry.”
While reporters were more interested in
taking pictures of the filthy environment of the compound which was meant to be
the Deputy Governor’s lodge, the man was more concerned about the poultry which
he said would soon be demolished.
He however pointed out that he vacated the
lodge in September 2012 and had remained in his private residence ever since.
The renovation work for which he relocated was long abandoned leaving the
entire compound unkempt and over grown with grasses.
The tone of his reply to a letter from the
chief of staff directing him to stop the poultry also gave an insight into the
face-off in the seat of power. The deputy governor through the Permanent
Secretary in his office Chris A. Eze wrote; “the tone and language of your
letter is insulting and shows disrespect to the office of the deputy governor.
The haste of the two letters shows a mind filled with malice and bent on making
mischief. The two letters were delivered same day one a notice, the other final
notice.”
A close source to the deputy governor
confidentially revealed he has refused to join commissioners and other
government functionaries who genuflect before the chief of staff and has always
strived to show that he should be the second in command after the governor.
It is this perceived struggle for
supremacy between the chief of staff and the deputy governor that sources close
to him claim led to the allegation in the impeachment notice that “the deputy
habitually refuses, fails and neglects to carry out the functions of his office
as directed by the governor.”
Our source noted that during most of his
travels the governor had always failed to hand over to him a scenario which
repeated recently when the governor went on leave. Consequently he refused to
take directives from the Chief of Staff to represent the governor during the
South East Governors Forum held in Enugu on July 6, 2014. Just like he
reportedly told Governor Chime before the later recently walked him out of his
office, political observers believe the Enugu deputy governor is being vilified
for his interest in the senatorial position of Enugu East zone the same
position penciled down for the chief of staff in 2015.
There have been expectations that the race
will be a straight fight between former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani and the
chief of staff before the sudden emergence of the deputy governor as an
aspirant to the same position.
Pundits believe that government is not
comfortable with the deputy governors’ senatorial aspiration which is seen as
part of the schemings of the former governor to stop Nwobodo from realizing her
senatorial ambition. Also, there is a serious gang-up in Nkanu land against
Nwobodo ahead of the 2015 elections. All efforts from this quarter are geared
towards whipping up sentiments against her candidacy; opening up old wounds in
the not-too-cordial relationship between the Agbaja (Udi/Ezzeagu) and Nkanu
people.
Another Nkanu man, the deputy governor is
thus seen as part of the plans to stop the governor from installing his
preferred candidate for the Enugu East Senatorial position.
However, the process of impeachment is on;
even though the Clerk of the Assembly has not been able to serve the motion
signed by 22 out of the 24 members of the House on the deputy. It is expected
that the impeachment will be successfully concluded unless there are
interventions from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.
Not even the public outcry against the
flimsiness of the allegations against the deputy governor is expected to have
any effect.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) had on
the same day the impeachment motion was adopted by the Assembly described the
allegations for the impeachment as flimsy, just as it urged the House to
withdraw the impeachment notice.
In a statement issued in Enugu and signed
by the spokesman of the party in the South East, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, the party
said; “we were outraged when we received the disturbing news that the Enugu
State House of Assembly had served notice of impeachment on the Deputy Governor
of the state, His Excellency, Chief Sunday Onyebuchi.
“On closer study of the items listed are
allegations like disobedience of the directive prohibiting the maintenance of
commercial livestock in residential quarters and disobedience of lawful
directive to represent His Excellency, Sullivan Chime in the South East
Governors Forum and the flag-off of 2nd Niger Bridge.
“Whereas, we are not holding brief for
Chief Onyebuchi, the APC South East is of the candid view that the items listed
are flimsy allegations; therefore we appeal to the House to withdraw the flimsy
petitions forthwith.
“We are making this appeal not only for
the sustenance of our fledgling democracy, but in the collective interest of
the good people of Enugu State, a peaceful citizenry that may not wish to
return to the dark insecure days of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
leadership in the state.
Also reacting, a former governorship
candidate in the state Chief Okey Ezea condemned the development, describing it
as an act of dictatorship. Said he; “It all goes to prove what I have always
said that Enugu is badly governed and under a dictatorship. Anyone can award
contracts to build roads, demolish secretariat, award another…. We are worse
than we were under the military government. That is why his party has no guber
aspirant. We have an emperor that would install everyone including deciding for
Nkanu people who must be their senator. There is God oh!”
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