By Raphael Ede
Enugu
Enugu state House of Assessment yesterday served the deputy governor, Mr Sunday Onyebuchi, impeachment notice for alleged gross misconduct and abuse of office.
He was given a one-week ultimatum to satisfactorily clear himself of the allegations or get booted out of office.
The impeachment notice was signed by 22 out of the 24 lawmakers of the assembly that were present during yesterday’s plenary.
The Speaker, Hon. Eugene Odoh, did not sign in view of the fact that he presided over the sitting.
Also, Mathias Ekweremadu, representing Ani Nri constituency, who is also the younger brother of the deputy president of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, didn’t sign the impeachment notice.
Consequently, the Clerk of the House was mandated to immediately rush to the office of Onyebuchi to serve him the notice.
The offences of the deputy governor, according the House, were that:
He grossly abused his office between February 2013 and February 2014, by having resisted the implementation of a public health policy of the state government that banned the rearing of commercial livestock and poultry within residential neighbourhood within Enugu metropolis.
“That in as much as Mr. Onyebuchi was very much aware of this policy, which passed through the state house of assembly to become a law in the state, he purposely and defiantly reared a commercial poultry within the premises of his official residential quarters, which posed a health hazard to government offices, located beside his residential building, including Governor Chime’s own office.”
The 22 members of the House alleged that the deputy governor stood his ground not to relocate his commercial poultry out of his official residence located within Government House, even when official letters were sent to him to the effect.
“The deputy governor habitually refuses, fails or neglects to carry out or perform the functions of his office as directed by the governor, pursuant to section 193[1] of the constitution, without any excuse.”
The lawmakers said he breached the constitution by his refusal to represent Governor Chime during the flag off ceremony of the construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge by President Goodluck Jonathan on March 11, 2014, at Onitsha, Anambra state.
All efforts to get the deputy governor’s reaction failed as his mobile line was said not available.
