Hon. Eugene Odoh, the Speaker of Enugu State of Assembly on Thursday, May 14, 2015 has alleged that the Commissioner of Police in the state has made arrangements to detain and probably poison him over impeachment threats against Governor Sullivan Chime.
He disclosed this at his Zoo Estate abode in Enugu, saying that the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Criminal Investigation Department in the state, had beckoned on him through the phone to report to their office over the N12 billion Budget forgery accusation that the House had brought up as a ground to impeach Governor Sullivan Chime.
He stated that he vehemently refused to honour the invitation by saying that he was indisposed at the moment and could not make it to the station.
The Speaker stated that, “In the evening of yesterday (Wednesday, May 13, 2015), the Commissioner of Police, through his office, invited me on account of a petition allegedly written by His Excellency, the governor.
“According to them, the petition was highlighting issues that we raised in the impeachment notice.
“I want to state categorically clear that the issue of impeachment notice is a legislative matter and ought not to be taken over by the police.
“I had earlier told you that my personal life and that of my family is in the hands of the governor of Enugu State and the Enugu State Commissioner of Police.
“I suspect a situation where as he is inviting us presently, we may be detained and poisoned by the Enugu State Police Command,” he said.
It should be noted that the speaker alongside 14 other members of the Enugu State House of Assembly had moved a motion in the early hours of Monday, May 4, 2015 to oust the outgoing Governor Sullivan Chime from his seat as the Governor of Enugu State on grounds of tampering with the 2012 supplementary budget of the state.
Eugene Odoh further said, “I was invited this morning (Thursday, May, 14, 2015) on telephone, but I told them that I was not disposed to come and they said we should come on Monday.
“We are bringing to the public what is going on, I do not intend to appear and if I will it will be with members of the press so that you people will see what is happening,”
“What we are suspecting is not favourable to my personal liberty as an individual, it is an abuse of court process and goes a long way to show the absolute impunity going on in Enugu State.
“One should have believed that the police should be at the vanguard of the protection of the lives and property of the people of Enugu State.
“For now, it appears that the police are so much delving into the arena of conflict between the executive and the legislature and we urge them to restrict themselves to the very contract to which they are assigned and not to take over the job of the House.
“If an impeachment notice is served on the governor, how could the police then begin to quiz and ask members and my humble self to make statements in respect of a matter done in the course of statutory legislative duties? That is unacceptable.” he said.
“This order was served yesterday (Wednesday, May 13, 2015) and the Commissioner of Police has received it. I want to formally bring to your notice that this morning (Thursday, May 14, 2015) the Commissioner of Police has not obeyed the order, instead he is inviting me to come to their office over a legislative issue.
“Matters for which we were invited are matters that were raised in the impeachment notice and the least we expect is for the person on whom the impeachment is served to make responses, if he has any, to the House of Assembly and not for the police to come and take over the functions of the House of Assembly,” Odo said.
