Removal Of Enugu Dep Gov Sens
Enugu State deputy governor impeached for running poultry farm in State House -
Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, has condemned the removal of the Enugu State Deputy Governor, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, describing it as “senseless and childish.”
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria said impeaching the deputy governor for running a poultry at his official residence and allegedly refusing to represent the governor on two separate occasions, was hypocritical.
He wondered why the state Governor, Sullivan Chime, was not also impeached when he was accused of illegally detaining his wife for several months.
He said the seven-man panel which was set up by the chief judge at the instance of the state House of Assembly, operated illegally.
He, therefore, urged Onyebuchi to seek redress in court.
Falana said there was a need to revise the laws guiding impeachment as it was too ambiguous, giving politicians the opportunity to manipulate it.
He said, “When the governor was sick last year and travelled out of the country, he did not handover to his deputy even though the law demands that a governor most handover to his deputy if he is incapacitated or absent. Why did the lawmakers not impeach him for that? Why didn’t they impeach him for running a piggery?
“Also, the lawmakers impeached the deputy governor because the governor claimed the deputy refused to represent him at two events. Does the governor have evidence of this? The deputy governor should seek redress in court. Because the impeachment is nonsensical.”
Another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof. Itse Sagay, condemned the removal of Onyebuchi, describing it as unfortunate.
He said, “The impeachment based on poultry and other ridiculous matters is dragging the country down the path of shame which the country has been going through for quite some time because of leaders who act like children. There is a clear evidence of immaturity all over the place. It is obvious that the governor does not want the man again and just decided to look for anything and then came up with the poultry idea which is so ridiculous.
“I understand from the man’s defence that because he was considering contesting as a senator and the governor did not like it, he was removed. This is the level of political intolerance that this country is going through, where people who are in office think that they are the alpha and omega and determine the finality of all things.”
Copyright PUNCH.
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