The Save Enugu Group (SEG) this morning vowed to use every constitutional means at its disposal to rescue the state from the hands of the cabal reportedly led by siblings of ailing Governor Sullivan Chime.

The cabal comprising Chime’s brother, Jide; his sister, May Oji; the Chief of Staff, Mrs. Ifeoma Nwobodo; the Accountant General, Mrs. Eunice Ugwu; and Special Adviser, Investment, Victor Atuonwu, is said to be ruling on behalf of the governor who is on AWOL ostensibly on account of ill health (his fate and whereabouts are officially not disclosed).

But speaking with News Express this morning, SEG chieftain Maxi Okwu described the situation as unacceptable.

“We have a four-point strategy on the Chime saga and phase one which ends tomorrow has been a resounding success. We enter phase II which is essentially to engage other institutions of Enugu State on this conspiracy by the cabal in Lion Building (G-5). State Traditional Rulers, Labour, Student Unions, Council of Town Union leaders, Faith-based Organisations, etc. There will be other sensitisation of the people tactics deployed,” Okwu said.
Asked what the SEG would do when the two-week ultimatum it issued last Wednesday expires, Okwu said: “Our plan after the expiry of the two week ultimatum and the ENSG (Enugu State Government) has not done the appropriate thing would be revealed at a world press conference next week.”

It would be recalled that tension over Chime’s continued absence heightened following the SEG’s letter dated January 7, 2013 and titled “Prolonged and unexplained absence of His Excellency, Sullivan Chime, Governor of Enugu State” addressed to the acting governor through the Secretary to the State Government and copied to Assembly Speaker, Eugene Odo.

In the letter, the group demanded that a delegation to include the Catholic Bishop of Enugu, His Grace, Callistus Onaga; Senator Hyde Onuaguluchi; His Highness, Paul Egbogu; Professor Barth Nnaji; Mrs Grace Obayi; Chief Nduka Eya; and Dr. Louis Anya Chukwuma be sent to wherever Chime is to ascertain his condition.
The letter said: “Today makes it 110 days since our great governor was last seen in public. It is in the public domain that our governor, His Excellency Sullivan Chime was last cited in public on 19th September 2012. Since then sightings and near sightings of him have been reported, which all turned out to be a hoax.

“This unsavoury state of affairs has created a thriving mill of idle gossipers who speculate on his whereabouts and state of health. These rumours ranged from the insensitive to the ludicrous. Matters got to a head on the 15th day of December 2012, the day of the fatal air disaster in Bayelsa State that claimed the lives of Governor Yakowa of Kaduna State and General Azazi, when the national media was rent with the news also of the death of our governor.

“On at least two occasions, the Commissioner of Information, Enugu State in the person of Mr Chucks Ugwuoke has come out with an official statement on the status of the governor. Essentially it was stated that His Excellency was quietly enjoying his holiday and accumulated leave, or that he would be in office shortly.

“These conflicting accounts merely served to exacerbate rather than ameliorate the situation.”
SEG demanded to know the duration of the governor’s leave.
Though, they acknowledged Chime’s relative good performance, but said, “The fact of unreasonable absence from office is suggestive of permanent inability to discharge the functions of his office. In the alternative, we would argue that his disappearance for this extended period amounts to grave misconduct.”

News Express reports that the state government in its reaction promptly dismissed the SEG as a group of attention seekers, thus laying the foundation for inevitable confrontation over the issue.