Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi state escapes impeachment from state of Assembly

The political crisis in Ebonyi State may have taken a new dimension, with members of the state House of Assembly reviving plot to impeach Governor Martin Elechi.

This is even as President Goodluck Jonathan flags off his presidential campaign in the South-East today in Enugu, where the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates in the zone will line up and got their flags from the party.

In the last couple of months, Elechi has been in the eye of the storm, with his Deputy, Chief Dave Umahi, who is now PDP governorship candidate in the state, a beneficiary of the crisis. The governor’s political structure was dismantled, while Umahi has the upper hand.

Consequently, the governor could not push through any candidate of his choice for any elective post on the platform of the PDP.

It was gathered that since Elechi’s supporters defected to Labour Party (LP) to actualise their ambition of participating in next month’s election, forces in the PDP, believing that the only way to neutralise him completely and ensure that the Labour Party did not get executive support in the state, would be to remove the governor from office.

Sources revealed that already, 10 of the 24-member legislature yesterday met at the residence of one of them to perfect plan to impeach Elechi.

At the meeting, it was gathered, the lawmakers were mobilised with incentives and charged to get at least six other legislators to join them, to ensure that the impeachment of Elechi would sail through. The House needs 16 lawmakers, which is two-third of members, to impeach the governor.

It was gathered that a prominent and rich Anambra State business mogul has promised to sponsor the impeachment project.

The source revealed that the desperation to remove Elechi from office within the month is to ensure he is not in office during next month’s elections, as the PDP fears that he could tilt victory in favour of his supporters in LP if left in office.

He said: “After reviewing the prevailing political situation in Ebonyi State, it was agreed that the position of Governor Elechi makes it quite challenging for the PDP candidate who he earlier refused to support to succeed him. Those who backed the decision to employ the impeachment option against the governor said despite his vociferous support for President Jonathan, Elechi may not allow the PDP to have it easy in the governorship.”

After Umahi emerged as PDP governorship candidate, lawmakers sympathetic to his cause had backed down from the plot to impeach Elechi, over fears that such action could provoke anger in Abakaliki bloc of the state, from where the governor hails, against the PDP candidate, who is from the southern zone of the state. The southern zone has five local government areas, while the Abakiliki bloc has eight. The LP governorship candidate is from the Abakiliki zone, while Umahi is from southern zone, where Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, comes from.

A source, however, revealed that the fresh plot came about, as those against Elechi say his exit and the enthronement of Umahi as governor would give the latter power of incumbency during the election.

It was gathered that the legislators are working to begin the impeachment process at the middle of the month, so that it could be completed before the first week of February, ahead of the governorship election on February 28.

Two days ago, the Ebonyi lawmakers removed caretaker council chairmen in the state and invited Elechi to defend his expenditures before it.

Sources say this is part of the schemes to test the ground for the impeachment.

“The recent appointment of local government caretaker chairmen and development centre coordinators by the governor was seen as a big stumbling block for PDP’s plan to have the election in its favour. The situation was made worse by the tacit support the incumbent governor seems to be showing for the Labour Party candidate, Sir Edward Nkwegu,” the source explained.

He added: “The fear in the PDP is that the Labour Party has gathered enormous momentum in the state within the short time of its emergence and that if nothing is done urgently to halt its march, the PDP will stand no chance of winning the governorship election in Ebonyi.”

Rumours of Elechi planned impeachment started after the second attempt to remove the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Chukwuma Nwazunku and the attendant litigations, which trailed the exercise.

Elechi had saved Nwazunku from impeachment in August 2014 when he stood against the decision of the lawmakers to remove the speaker over allegations of corruption and incompetence.

Though supporters of Nwazunku, including the deputy governor, have severally denied that Governor Elechi was the ultimate target of the confusion in the House of Assembly, subsequent events, following the recent PDP congresses in the state, indicate otherwise.

Recently, 21 members of the Assembly met, for the first time in more than three months, to receive Governor Elechi’s 2015 budget estimate, where they passed a resolution sacking caretaker council chairmen and coordinators, instead of attending to the governor’s letter requesting a downward review of the budget.