Impeachment:Enugu Deputy Governor Replies Sullivan Chime

THE embattled deputy governor of Enugu State, Sunday Onyebuchi, on Thursday, replied the state house of assembly on the impeachment notice it served on him, saying he was not guilty of the alleged two-count charge of misconduct in office and disrespect to the constituted authority.

In his reply, dated July 31, 2014 and made available to newsmen, Onyebuchi acknowledged that he saw the document of the allegations posted at the gate of his private residence at 46, Savage Crescent, G.R.A, Enugu.   

Onyebuchi maintained that in the past seven years, he had carried out the directives of his boss to the best of his ability and faithfully.

The deputy governor, however, said he was delighted that none of the allegations against him bordered on corruption or fraud. 

“I do believe in conclusion that I am not guilty of any act of gross misconduct to warrant the setting up of an impeachment panel,” he noted.

The deputy governor, who commended the state legislators for giving him the opportunity to respond, went down memory lane recalling how prior to his election as the deputy governor in 2007, he had put in 27 years of service in the civil service of Anambra/Enugu states where he rose through the ranks to the position of Permanent Secretary. 

On his poultry farm, he said that he was never served with any such resolution of the Enugu State House of Assembly nor was any such resolution ever brought to his notice by any official of the Enugu State Government.

He further recalled,  “On assumption of office in May 2007, there was an existing official residence for the Deputy Governor of Enugu State.  On inspection of the premises, I observed that it had on its grounds an area designated and fenced as an Agricultural Unit, with facilities for amongst other things, a poultry farm.  

“I commenced operation of a poultry on the premises in  2008 with technical support from ENADEP  and the Commercial Agricultural Programme of the State Ministry of Agriculture.  The said poultry farm was declared in my Asset Declaration and inspected by the Code of Conduct Bureau.”

 Interestingly, he said, the structure for the said poultry farm was built by Dizengorf WA Limited during the regime of late Chief M. I. Okpara with the first occupant of the premises in person of late Chief Nwodo who operated a poultry farm there. 

“Subsequent occupants of the premises, up to my immediate predecessor in office, operated poultry farms in the premises.  Similar structures were built by Chief Okpara in most of what was then known as “Ministers’ Quarters”.  Indeed, till date, the Government House, Enugu, also has an Agricultural Unit, larger than the one in my official quarters, where a large poultry farm continues to be maintained”, he added. 

 According to him, the policy under the Okpara regime was to encourage public office holders to engage in farming especially poultry, stressing that no complaint of any environmental or health hazard from the said poultry was made to me or brought to my attention between 2008 and November 2013.

He, however, agreed that on December  27, 2013, two letters were delivered to his office.

    “The first letter dated 24th December 2013 with reference No. GHE/CAO/31/239 from the Chief of Staff to the Governor, was headed “Operation of a Commercial Poultry Farm in the Residence of His Excellency, the Deputy Governor”. 

“It  stated that the attention of government had been drawn to the fact that I had “erected or built or permitted to be erected or built commercial poultry farm” within my official quarters “contrary to the Statutory Certificate  of Occupancy purpose clause”  which according to the letter required that the land be used for residential purposes only. 

“The letter demanded that I take urgent and necessary action to stop forthwith the operation of the poultry in my official residence.  The second letter from the Chief of Staff was dated 27 December 2013 with reference No. GHE/CAO/31/240 and headed “Final Notice/Request to Stop or relocate the Commercial Poultry Farm in Official Residence.”  This time, I was given 14 days to comply with the directive to relocate the poultry”. 

“The statement in both letters that my official residence was covered    by a Certificate of Occupancy, containing a purpose clause to use the       premises for residential purposes only, was untrue. My official quarters had within it a section designated as an  Agricultural Unit, including  a portion used as a poultry farm which I had inherited from my predecessors in office.

He insisted that the main reason stated in the letters issued to him for requiring the relocation of the poultry farm was the fact that he was in breach of the purpose clause of the certificate of occupancy covering his official residence. 

 “I still say that there is no such certificate of occupancy in existence in respect of the Deputy Governor’s official residence. I also wish to point out that in all the correspondence, no mention was made of any resolution of the Enugu State House of Assembly prohibiting the maintenance and operation of a poultry farm within residential neighborhoods in Enugu metropolis. I did not also intimidate any official of the government”

According to him, “on Monday 27 January 2014 officials from the Enugu State Capital Development Authority and the Ministry of Environment went to my official residence and carted away all the birds in my poultry farm in the presence of pressmen and journalists.”

  My wife, my aides and I watched helplessly while the operation took place.   Since then,  I have not been told what happened to the over 3000 birds nor has anyone volunteered information on the subject’

“I also wish to point out that resolutions passed by the Enugu State House of Assembly were not served on my office as the deputy governor or in any other manner brought to my attention.  This is why I was not aware of the said resolution passed on 12 February 2013.

I, therefore, believe that based on my explanations set out above, I have not abused my office by maintaining a poultry farm in the portion of my official residence designated as agricultural unit, nor did my reply to the letters from the chief of staff constitute intimidation of a government official. 

“I did not also refuse to comply with a law or other lawful demand requiring me to relocate the poultry.  I was not aware of the resolution of the House of Assembly referred to in the notice.  I was only waiting for a response on the submissions I made in my said reply, when officials of the government came and carried out an operation in which the birds were carted away to a place which I have not been informed till today.”