The Chairman of Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State Mr. Bonaventure Onuh, has been impeached.
Onuh was removed by the councillors on Monday over alleged N1.75 billion budget scam.
Until his removal, the chairman, who had fought to save his seat, is a close ally of Senator Ayogu Eze. The Senator is from the same council area.
DAILY POST recalls that Ayogu, who won a parallel PDP guber primary election, had gone to court to ensure that he is confirmed the party’s candidate.
However, in what appears to be a fight-back, the 19 councilors out of 20, on Monday at an emergency session adopted the report of a five-man impeachment panel that investigated allegations of misconduct leveled against the chairman and impeached him, just as the new leader of the legislative council, Hon. Onyekachi Fidelis Itodo, emerged acting chairman of the local government council.
The councilors, during the session, also passed a resolution ordering the former chairman to hand over all the council’s property in his possession to the acting chairman, while directing the clerk of the House to notify all relevant security agencies of the development.
The leader, Hon. Itodo presented the report of the impeachment panel headed by Mr. Nestor Ezeme, a lawyer, which recommended that the councilors impeach the chairman and the vice chairman.
They adopted the report in totality and impeached Mr. Onuh and his vice chairman, Mr. Celestine Ezugwu, accordingly.
According to a copy of the report made available to our Correspondent, the panel members recommended thus: “in accordance with Section14 (8) of the Local Government Law (Cap. 109) Laws of Enugu state 2004, the panel recommends that the legislative council should pass a resolution supported by a two third majority of all its members to remove the chairman and the vice chairman”.
Hence, the councilors, in a resolution signed by all of them, except the former leader of the council and an ally of the now impeached chairman, Hon. Kenneth Odo, said, “we the undersigned councilors of Igbo-Eze North local government area hereby adopt the report of the seven- man impeachment panel set up by the Chief Judge of Enugu state, and impeach the chairman and vice chairman of Igbo-Eze North L.G.A, Mr. Bonaventure Onuh and Celestine Ezeugwu.
“The above mentioned public officers hereby stand impeached”, said the councilors who also passed a resolution calling for the withdrawal of security details attached to the former chairman while seeking adequate security for the acting chairman.
According to the report of the panel, the panelists were hampered in their investigation by the impeached chairman, the director personnel management of the council as well as the treasurer of the local government, who are signatories to the council’s account.
The panel stated that whereas the director of personnel management, who was subpoenaed to appear before it with a list of documents to ease its work “appeared without even a single of the requested documents, the treasurer did not even deem it fit to appear”.
Yet, it said the director of personnel who was designated as PWV in the report had told the panel that the former council boss ran an open administration and that all contracts awarded passed through all due processes.
In the impeachment notice issued last November 25, the councilors had accused the former chairman of embezzling and misappropriating over N1.75 billion being part of the amount budgeted by the local council for this year’s appropriation and that he had retired all of them without executing any of the projects mentioned under that sum.
The panel said Mr. Onuh failed to address the serious allegations brought against him and, accordingly indicted him along with some principal officers of the council and recommended that the former chairman and the former vice chairman be impeached.
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