2 November 2006
Lagos — The gale of impeachment sweeping across the states anchored in Anambra State yesterday, with the House of Assembly sacking Gov. Peter Obi. Deputy governor, Dame Virgy Etiaba is to take over as governor.
Daily Champion gathered that the Mike Balonwu led assembly sat for some minutes yesterday and pronounced Obi guilty of financial misconduct and abuse of office, after receiving a report from the 7-member panel that investigated the allegations against the governor, yesterday.
With the receipt of the report, the House of Assembly convened by 7.30 a.m. for brief seating. The seating, which lasted for one and half hours, produced a resolution that called for the immediate removal of Gov. Peter Obi.
Twenty-one members of the assembly reportedly signed the resolution, which was enough to surpass the required two-thirds majority.
To this effect, the State Assembly has written the Chief Judge of the State to swear in the current deputy governor as the new governor of Anambra State.
The 7-member panel has adjourned till Monday. It is expected that when the panel resumes on Monday, it will begin investigating charge against Etiaba., raising fears that she might also be impeached.
Amongst loud complaints against the governor for "being too slow" to develop Anambra State like his predecessor, Dr. Chris Ngige had done before him, members of the state house of assembly publicly accused the governor before President Obasanjo during his official visit last week.
The governor became very unpopular when he allegedly collaborated with the federal government to rout out members of the separatist movement-Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, who were indiscriminately killed by federal security forces.
He was also accused of corruption, members of the house said he deposited about N11 billion in Fidelity Bank, a commercial bank in which he was former board chairman and also has substantial interest.
All the charges, which the governor pleaded not guilty to, are:
Article 1: That Mr. Peter Obi and Dame Virgy Etiaba in violation of their Oath of Office and constitutional obligations not to allow their personal interest to influence their official conduct and decisions, did corruptly influence and caused to be placed, huge sums of money belonging to Anambra State Government in Fidelity Bank Plc.
Article 1: That Mr. Peter Obi and Dame Virgy Etiaba in violation of their Oath of Office and constitutional obligations not to allow their personal interest to influence their official conduct and decisions, did corruptly influence and caused to be placed, huge sums of money belonging to Anambra State Government in Fidelity Bank Plc, being a bank both of them have substantial interest in and of which the Governor was the immediate past
Chairman, thereby putting themselves in a position where their personal interest conflict with their duties and responsibilities contrary to Code of Conduct for public officers (Fifth Schedule Section 1, 1999 Constitution).
Article 2: That Mr. Peter Obi in violation of his Oath of office and constitutional obligation not to allow his personal interest to influence his official conduct and decision, did corruptly influenced and caused to be awarded and without due process, the contract for the reconstruction of the Governor's office Complex, Awka in the sum exceeding One Hundred Million Naira to one of his campaign managers and associates Mr. IK Nwandu using his company as a mere stratagem and instrumentality, thereby putting himself in a position where his personal interest conflicts with his duties and responsibilities contrary to Code of Conduct for public officers (Fifth Schedule Part 1, Section 1, 1999 Constitution).
Article: That Mr. Peter Obi in violation of his Oath of Office and constitutional obligation not to allow his personal interest to influence his official conduct and decisions did corruptly influence and caused to be awarded to his kinsman,
Mr. Anthony Akpulu, using Akpulu's company, the contract for the construction of buildings in the so-called Business Village worth over One Hundred Million Naira without due process and appropriation by the State House of Assembly, thereby putting himself in a position where his personal interest conflict with his duties and responsibilities contrary toCode of Conduct for public officers (Fifth Schedule Part 1, 1999 Constitution).
Article 4: That Mr. Peter Obi in violation of his Oath of Conduct of Office and constitutional obligation not to allow his personal interest to influence his official conduct and decisions did corruptly influence and caused to be awarded with out due process and competitive bidding the contract for the construction of the State Secretariat Complex at the cost of over half a Billion Naira to Mr. Paul Enidom (Paul B. Nig. Ltd) his partner and business associate, with whom he is jointly enterprise in the development of a Shopping Complex situated in the Central Business District Abuja.
Article 5: That Mr. Peter Obi and Dame Virgy Etiaba in violation of their Oath of Office and constitutional obligations not to allow their personal interests to influence their official conduct and decisions did corruptly and without due process competitive bidding and appropriation by the House of Assembly, did award contracts for the following: Several township roads, Construction of IGR Building, Purchase of twenty Refuse Disposal vehicle and Four Pay-loaders, Construction of New Office Building for Ministry of Lands, Purchase of 40 Buses, Construction of New Stock Exchange Building at GRA Onitsha.
Article 6: That Mr. Peter Obi and Dame Virgy Etiaba in breach of their constitutional duties as Governor and Deputy
Governor respectively to execute the laws made by the State House of Assembly have refused to continue the executionof various roads projects awarded by the past administration pursuant to the Anambra State appropriation laws, occasioning huge losses to the State of heavy deposits of money already paid on the roads by the State Government to
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