The Ebonyi State House of Assembly on Friday, February 27, 2015 moved a motion to serve Governor Martin Elechi an impeachment notice over allegations of corruption and gross misconduct.
The motion was moved after Majority Leader, Francis Nwifruru read details of the claims of undermining the integrity of the House and committing fraudulent acts.
In one petition, Governor Elechi; his son Elechi Elechi, Edward Nkegu and others were accused of inflating contracts and illegally making use of state funds for private purposes,
Reacting to the news of impeachment, Governor Elechi, who spoke to newsmen Executive Council Chambers of Government House, Abakaliki, at about the same time the House was in session, said the motion was being engineered by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh and Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Uchenna Secondus.
He said: “I mentioned this as 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 am 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 legislators must be convinced that an impeachment is justifiable before they 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 were coerced from the National Headquarters of the PDP to give their bank particulars so that money will be paid into them.”
