Impeach Obiano now, PDP urges Anambra Assembly

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PDP petitions state assembly on Obiano’s alleged constitutional breaches

 Form Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka

Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano may have entered into another phase of trouble as the state chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has petitioned the Anambra State House of Assembly to commence impeachment processes on him for allegedly committing constitutional breaches.

 At a stakeholders’ meeting of the PDP at the weekend, the state party chairman, Prince Ken Emeakayi said the party would no longer accept the breach of the Constitution of Nigeria at will by Governor Obiano, hence, the petition to the state Assembly to act.

 The PDP alleged that Governor Obiano, in January this year left the shores of Nigeria and spent 30 days without transmitting a letter to that effect to the state House of Assembly as required by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

It further said on return to the country and the state after the trip, the governor did not again transmit to the House of his return, a development it maintained had made Governor Obiano unfit to continue as the governor of Anambra State, having violated the constitution he swore to uphold.

 Emeakayi disclosed that the party had also written the Police, DSS and other security agencies to intimate them of the constitutional breach by the governor.

“We have written to the police, DSS and other security agencies in the country to let them know that the governor is now acting illegally. We have duly notified the State House of Assembly in a separate letter and we are calling on them to immediately commence impeachment proceedings on the governor because his offence is very clear.

“Obiano had on January 5, at the peak of the Yuletide, travelled to the United States of America, without transmitting a letter to the House of Assembly, and stayed for 30 days without his deputy acting as governor and as such not fit to continue with the task upon return. He is no longer the governor of this state by this breach.”

Emeakayi recalled the issue of the non-conduct of local government election and insisted that for the governor to have failed to conduct local government elections in the state as required by Section Seven of the constitution was also an impeachable offence.

“We have been informed that there are plans by the governor to appoint caretaker committee leadership into the local government councils, instead of holding elections to democratise that tier of government. We are going to resist it with all the legal powers available to us.”

But, in a swift reaction, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano on Media, Strategic Communication and Legislative Matters, Prince Oliver Okpala described the allegations and statements of the PDP state chairman as laughable, questioning his authority to make such comments.

“The  present development and allegations are laughable because the person making the allegation has a case  of locus standi in law to decide if he is a fit and proper person to speak on behalf of the PDP as the chairman  in  Anambra State  judging from the recent  political developments in his party.

“Is he the fit and proper person to speak or write any letter to the state Assembly as state chairman of the party? Which side of the party does he belong to, the Markafi faction or the Ali Modu Sheriff faction?

“Also, may we know if  all the legal actions instituted by other party members challenging his position as chairman  have been resolved ? These are fundamental issues to be resolved first before we can know who is making the allegations against the governor; which party he represents and in which  position he is speaking  or writing  because you know that the Markafi faction of the PDP has rejected the Court of Appeal judgment and has gone to challenge it at the Supreme Court. Not until these legal issues are resolved,  the position and authenticity of the allegations may not attract the attention of any legitimate organ of government.”

At the meeting which was aimed at strategising for the PDP to take back Anambra, the state chairman urged members of the party to stand up and take what belongs to them, contending that Anambra was a PDP state, and that it has remained so, save for the connivance of the national echelon of the party as previously constituted, which sold the franchise of the party to former governor Peter Obi.

“Now that Obi has returned to the PDP, the party’s franchise which APGA had been using to win election in the state has been returned to PDP, and the party is more strengthened now than ever to take back the state from APGA, which has been leading the state on borrowed time.

“Anambra people are no longer happy with APGA governor, and I hear them yearning for change. So, Anambra will return to PDP this year. We only call on traditional rulers, bishops and clergy men to play the role of fathers, rather than disrupt the wishes of the people.”