The panel probing impeachable offences against the Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Sunday Onyebuchi, has barred the press from covering its activities.
The decision to bar the press was taken on Friday following complaints by the counsel to the state House of Assembly, Barrister I.I. Eze, over stories in the media on Friday.
Eze said the stories were slanted and as such requested for the stoppage of the coverage of the proceedings of the panel by the media.
He said the reports, both online and print editions, were not only slanted but outright falsehood.
Referring specifically to a story in The Punch newspaper of Friday, Eze said he was worried that the trend would continue if the coverage by the media continued.
He read the offending portion of the story in the Punch to the panel.
It read: “But in an encounter with the journalists after the panel adjourned proceedings, Sunday Onyebuchi faulted the evidence of the witnesses for embellishing the evidence with falsehood.”
Eze also felt offended by another headline in the media that read: “Enugu Chicken Impeachment.”
Onyebuchi’s counsel, Chris Aghanwa, who had on Thursday opposed the order by the Chairman of the panel, Oraekeyi Uche Franklin, for journalists to leave the venue of the sitting, equally kicked against the request by Eze.
Aghanwa expressed surprise at such attitude.
However, Franklin stood his ground and the journalists who had been prevented from entering the venue based on an order by the panel’s Secretary, Vin Aneke, were eventually locked out.
The panel went ahead with the day’s proceedings where the Medical Director of the Enugu State Government House, Dr. Anthony Ogbonna, testified.
Ogbonna denied having knowledge of a poultry farm in the residence of the Deputy Governor until recently, though he has worked as a physician in the Government House since 1994.
He also told the panel that there is an agriculture unit in the Government House and that some time ago, an ostrich and a monkey once attacked people and inflicted injury on them at the Government House.
The Chairman and Commissioner of the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority Ikechukwu Ugwuegede, also testified before the panel.
Ugwuegede told the panel that he removed the birds from the poultry unit at Onyebuchi’s lodge on January 27, 2014.
However, when asked where the birds were, he said he does not know.
He admitted that the birds at the poultry were laying eggs but that he still ordered them removed.
Barrister Emeka Asogwa, the Chief Protocol to the Governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime, also testified.
A report of the sitting of the panel, obtained by The Eagle Online on Sunday, said Asogwa in the course of his evidence displayed aggressive tendencies towards Aganwa.
He had to be cautioned by Franklin.
Asogwa, according to the report, told the panel that he has been in the Protocol Department of the Government House for over 20 years.
He, however, contradicted himself when he was asked for the specific date be became the Chief of Protocol.
He said he became Chief of Protocol about four or five years ago but when asked for the exact date, he said it was on June 30 or 31, 2008 he was appointed.
He said that he is in charge of Chime’s appointments and engagements and publishes the daily manifest of the governor.
He stated that anytime a function crops up and the governor was not available and does not leave a specific instruction on who will represent him at the function, he contacts him and gets instructions on who should stand in for him.
Asogwa told the panel that on June 4, 2014, Chime directed him to ask Onyebuchi to represent him at the burial of Ezinne Alice Ocho Nnamani at Agbani on June 5, 2014 but the Deputy Governor refused.
He further alleged that on March 11, 2014, Onyebuchi also refused to represent Chime at the Flag Off and Ground Breaking Ceremony of the Second Niger Bridge performed by President Goodluck Jonathan in Onitsha, Anambra State.
But upon being informed that there was a video evidence of the presence of the Deputy Governor at the ceremony, he recanted.
Onyebuchi was said to have sat beside the Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Nkem Okeke, at the occasion.
Asogwa immediately admitted that Onyebuchi was present at the occasion.
He told the panel that he was not at the occasion but relied on information from a third party.
The Chief Protocol also told the panel that the Deputy Governor refused to represent the Governor at the South East Governors’ Forum on July 6, 2014.
According to Asogwa, he delivered the manifest informing the Deputy Governor about the South East Governors Forum scheduled to hold on July 6, 2014 on the night of July 5, 2014 between 10:30pm and 11pm to Onyebuchi’s security man.
Asogwa said he did not confirm if Onyebuchi was in town that night and did not make any attempt to contact him by phone.
The panel at this juncture then adjourned its proceeding to Monday (today).
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