Following a confrontation by the SGF, coupled with advice from the national working committee of the PDP that the governor toe the path of peace, through consultation and by constitutional means in handling party matters, Elechi allegedly dropped Nweke for Ben Akpa as state chairman, but again, without any input by either Pius Anyim or any other major stakeholder in Ebonyi on the other side of the divide.
But in defence of the above allegations, Elechi in a press statement, denied having a hand in the removal of Ama-Oti and the installation of Ben Akpa as replacement as state chairman of the party.
“The national working committee, without any query both to the governor of the state or to the state working committee, unilaterally dissolved the SEC and announced the suspension of the state secretary and the state publicity secretary for publishing delegates’ names. The dissolution order further reinstated the sick deputy chairman as the acting state chairman of the party. No reference was made to the governor who is supposedly the leader of the party. We read of the decision on the pages of newspapers,” he said in the statement.
Another allegation leveled by the Anyim/Umahi camp against Elechi was his reneging on his promise to hand over power to Umahi at the end of his second tenure which expires on 29 May. Elechi has severally expressed his desire in power shift to the southern senatorial district of the state that is yet to have a taste of power since the creation of the state and where Umahi comes from. He was accused of arm-twisting his deputy in favour of the former health minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu, who also is from the south.
Expressing dismay at his boss’ sudden change of heart, Umahi reacted: “For nearly four years, I relied on his solemn promise to hand over to me, he quickly doused the flame of that ambition and sought to humiliate and destroy me in the process. I relied on that man that I thought had integrity.”
He said for over three and half years as deputy governor, he had remained a loyal and obedient servant who always stood by Elechi and delivered on the duties entrusted to him.
“We kept working together in harmony till the time for party primaries and I approached him to inform him of my desire to contest for the governorship of the state, in line with our mutual agreement. He declared his opposition to my candidature. My refusal to allow him stop me from from presenting myself for election into the office of the governor of the state was the beginning of the misunderstanding between the governor and me. That I proceeded to purchase the Expression of Interest and Nominations forms for the governorship of the state under the PDP sparked off controversy.”
Umahi complained further: “Having installed a stooge at the party secretariat with the primary objective of frustrating my ambition, my supporters wisely purchased their delegates’ forms from the party’s headquarters in Abuja. They participated in open and transparent congresses across the state. The national working committee prepared their documentations appropriately.”
With the first canon fired by the Elechi camp, the Anyim/Umahi storm troopers replied by unleashing every available ammunition in their armoury to deal a fatal blow to the governor. First was the use of the legislative arm of the government to trump up several allegations of corrupt practices and constitutional breaches, for which they insisted Elechi must go via impeachment.
In the notice of allegations of gross misconduct as ground for the impeachment of Elechi, signed by the speaker of the house, Chukwuma Nwazunkwu and 14 other members of the house (loyal to Anyim and Umahi), they listed eight offences allegedly committed by the governor.
He was accused of single-handedly “appointing and inaugurating 28 persons as coordinators of 28 development centres without prior screening and confirmation of each of the appointment by a simple majority of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly; appointed and inaugurated a caretaker chairman for each of the 13 local government councils of Ebonyi state.”
The House also accused the governor of appointing some members of boards, agencies and companies without its approval; obtaining a loan of N3 billion on behalf of the state without House approval; obtaining another loan of N6 billion from a commercial bank without the House’s approval; inflation of contract awarded to Labour Party gubernatorial flag bearer; and setting up of a cement company with the governor’s son and others as shareholders. All the offences were said to have contravened relevant sections of the Constitution.
When asked why the lawmakers had to wait till now before acting against the allegations of corruption and constitutional breaches by the factional 15 lawmakers, a media aide of Umahi, Abia Onyike, simply said: “There is no law that talks about the timing of impeachment; it is not in Nigeria’s constitution. It is politics. Something must lead to something.”
Members of the Elechi faction of the PDP however insisted that the fear of losing to the government-backed Labour Party brought about the impeachment plot against the governor as Labour Party continues to wax stronger. Also, governor Elechi recently while briefing journalists at the Exco Chambers in the government house in Abakaliki, accused Senator Anyim, PDP Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh and Uche Secondus, as the masterminds of the impeachment plot.
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