Enugu APC blasts Chime for redeploying impeached deputy gov. to civil service

The Enugu chapter of the All Progressive Congress, APC, on Tuesday criticised the state governor, Sullivan Chime, for posting the state’s recently-impeached deputy governor, Sunday Onyebuchi, to the state’s civil service.

In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Kate Offor, the APC asked the governor to stop the culture of impunity, evident in the “caricature appointment” of Mr. Onyebuchi into the civil service.

Mr. Onyebuchi was redeployed to the state’s civil service as a deputy director following his impeachment by the State House of Assembly for rearing chickens in the government house.

Ms. Offor in her statement urged Mr. Chime to apologise to Mr. Onyebuchi for his impeachment on “flimsy allegations”.

“We had thought as a senior lawyer, and former Attorney General of Enugu State, that Governor Chime was knowledgeable enough to appreciate its trite law that impeachment is in other words, conviction,” Ms. Offor said.

She said Mr. Onyebuchi’s redeployment as a deputy director in the civil service was a huge joke, an act to clear him from the undue conviction by the House of Assembly.

“May we remind Governor Chime, lest he forgets, that the simple and honest path is for him to swallow his pride and apologise to Chief Onyebuchi, his co-beneficiary of ex-governor, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani’s benevolence, who hand-picked both of them and imposed them on the good people of Enugu State,” she said.

On February 2002, after 22 years in the civil service, Mr. Onyebuchi was appointed principal private secretary to the governor. He then became the Commissioner for Works and Transport in Enugu State.

However, in 2007, he resigned his appointment as a commissioner and was nominated a running mate to Mr. Chime.