Anyim, Metu, Secondus Bribed Ebonyi Lawmakers To Impeach Me, Governor Elechi Alleges

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, News, News From The State, Nigeria 2015 Election Saturday, February 28th, 2015

From Ignatius Okpara, Abakaliki – The embattled Governor of Ebonyi state, Chief Martin Elechi, on Friday accused Secretary to Government of the federation (SGF), Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus and National Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metu of masterminding the impeachment plot against him.

The allegation is coming on the hills of impeachment motion passed by Ebonyi House of Assembly against Elechi, over alleged gross financial misconduct.

In a eight count charge signed by fifteen lawmakers which was read on the floor of the House by the Acting Leader, Ogbonnaya Nwifuru, during its plenary Friday, the legislators, had declared that the alleged gross misconduct was a clear violation of the constitution, which prompted them to endorse the notice of impeachment on the governor.

But speaking with newsmen, in Abakaliki, shortly after the impeachment motion was moved, Governor Elechi alleged that Anyim, Secondus, Metu and others within and outside the state offered financial inducement to the lawmakers to remove him from office.

He said that Anyim had earlier during a national caucus meeting of PDP at Abuja moved a motion for his impeachment on the allegation that he, (Elechi), was working against the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan, and that he had been meeting with former President, Olusegun Obasanjo and former Governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako to work against President Jonathan.

While denying ever meeting with Chief Obasanjo, whom he described as an-in-law of Ebonyi state, or Nyako, whom he said he saw last during expanded national executive council meeting of PDP before he was impeached, Elechi, asserted that it was Anyim and his likes, through their divisive activities, that were diminishing the President Jonathan’s campaign effort in the state.

His words: “I mentioned this one of Anyim’s motion (at PDP caucus meeting) because it has come to the public domain.

“I was to be in that meeting but the notice came less than 24 hours and I had billed myself for other things, so I didn’t attend. I’m relying now on the publications of various papers and other things I hear about Anyim.” I didn’t

exhaust all of them like his effort to stop the bond which we are eminently qualified for, he tried that but he failed.

“It is interesting for Nigerians to know that the decision to impeach the Governor preceded the finding of justifiable reasons to do so.

“It is simply the case of giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it.

“The legislator must be convinced that an impeachment is justifiable before he or she can consent to it,, but because there have been no justifiable reasons, many honourable members of Ebonyi State House of Assembly received threat messages to either append their signatures or risk assassination and/or a kidnap of their family members.

“Others are coerced from the National Headquarters of the PDP to give their bank particulars so that (inducement) money will be paid into them. The accused agents in this regard are, respectively, Uche Secondus (Deputy National Chairman) and Olisa Metu (National Publicity Secretary).

“In consequence of the foregoing many Hon. Members of Ebonyi State House of Assembly have either fled the state or are in hiding,” he alleged.

The governor, equally blamed his ordeal to the controversy surrounding the PDP primaries in November/December 2014, which he said led to large number of PDP members moving enmass to the opposition Labour Party (LP), even as he reiterated his earlier stand that nobody can beat a child and stop him from crying.

He said that the SGF has been using the federal power to terrorise his administration with EFCC and ICPC, who arrest and detain government officials and his son and eventually froze the account of Ebonyi State/Local Government Joint Account, even before the conclusion of their investigation.

Elechi stated that he was supposed to be the chairman of Presidential Campaign committee of President Jonathan in the state but he was denied campaign materials including TAN rice and N80 million which was paid into the personal account of former Minister of Culture and Tourism, Amb Frank Ogbuewu for the job.

He said already the development is generating problem and bad blood in the state, as some individuals and stakeholders are demanding for account of the funds.