Enugu Deputy Governor, Sunday Onyebuchi, yesterday sensationally revealed before the impeachment panel investigating him that Governor Sullivan Chime is equally guilty of the alleged offence for which he is being threatened with impeachment.

Onyebuchi is accused of contravening state laws and disrespecting his principal by operating a poultry in his Government House residence. Absolving himself of blame, the embattled deputy governor, while testifying before the impeachment panel headed by Mr. Uche Franklyn Oraekeiyi, provided copies of the state government’s budgets for 2011 to 2014 to back his claims that Governor Chime also operated poultry and piggery farms at the Government House. The budgets showed that several millions of naira allocated for the maintenance of the farms by the Chime administration was duly released. This, according to Onyebuchi, proves that he committed no offence by operating a poultry in the Government House and does not deserve to be impeached.

The deputy governor later told reporters after his testimony: “I have always said that this is a straightforward matter. One is the allegation of operating a poultry farm. We have been able to put the message across that the House of Assembly resolution is not a law and the resolution was not made available to me.”

Onyebuchi also spoke on his collapse while testifying before the panel last week, which necessitated the rescheduling of his appearance to this week. He said that midway into his testimony, he started feeling dizzy and requested for water.

Continuing, he said: “The water was brought and I took it. I told the panel members that I wouldn’t continue, that I was not fit enough. I was rushed out of the court. They took me to a doctor, who confirmed that I had low blood pressure and reported this to the panel, but was turned down.

“Surprisingly, the panel insisted that I should be brought back the same day at 2:00 p.m. This made my lawyers to come back at 2:00 p.m. and presented the doctor’s report and said I would not be fit till this week. My lawyer urged the panel to adjourn till Monday, but the panel insisted that I should be brought back at 9:00 a.m. the next day, in spite of the report from the medical doctor.

“My lawyers came the next day and insisted that I was not fit enough to come and it was at that juncture that the panel insisted that a doctor from the ESUT Teaching Hospital should see me to confirm whether what the other doctor wrote was okay.

“The female doctor from ESUT Teaching Hospital came and I submitted myself, she examined me and I believe she did a report and till now the panel has not made the report available, but I believe that I am fit enough to stand trial and that is why I came.”

•Photo shows Onyebuchi.

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