The Secretary to Ebonyi State Government (SSG), Dr. Kenneth Ugbala, has barred the Correspondent of The Sun Newspapers, Mr. Obinna Odogwu, from entering Government House, Abakaliki for investigating the crisis rocking the Divine Mandate Pastors’ Forum.
Divine Mandate Pastors’ Forum is a branch of the Divine Mandate Campaign Organisation of Governor David Umahi, a platform the governor campaigned and won elections in 2015 and 2019.
Ugbala, who ordered The Sun reporter not to step into the Government House premise, said only the governor could lift the ban.
Odogwu, the reporter with The Sun said the SSG last Friday passed the message to him on telephone querying him for daring to investigate the Divine Mandate Pastor’s Forum.
Said Odogwu: “I was asked to investigate the crisis rocking the Divine Mandate Pastors’ Forum. So, on Friday, I commenced investigations by reaching out to the pastors involved.
“After calling one of the pastors whose church the governor attends, I started receiving calls from some government officials. The first caller was the SSG, Dr. Kenneth Ugbala, who queried why I was calling the governor’s pastor.
“He subsequently summoned me to the Presidential Lodge inside Government House. When I got there, I explained things to him and left. About one hour later, he called me again; this time, harassing me.
“He told me that I have been banned from entering the Government House and warned me never to come there. He said it is only Governor Umahi that can lift the ban.
“Two hours later, the same Friday night, he called me again and re-echoed the warning that I have been banned from entering Government House. He also warned me not to call the governor’s pastor again.
“On Tuesday, I walked into Government House for official work, and when I was coming out, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Mr. Francis Nwaze, who was driving in, pulled over and told me that the SSG had given him some information concerning my coming to Government House,” said Odogwu.