Gov Elechi Faces Impeachment over Refusal to Install Brother in-law Successor

The gale of impeachment sweeping across the country may berth in Ebonyi State as plans by some lawmakers have reached an advanced stage to impeach Governor Martin Elechi and his deputy, David Umahi.

Pointblanknews.com gathered that Governor Elechi and his wife are at daggers drawn over a script by the latter to install her brother, Senator Chris Nwankwo governor in May 2015 when her husband would have served out his second term in office.

The prelude to the power-play emerged penultimate week when some members of the state assembly announced the removal of Speaker Chukwuma Nwazunku and his replacement with Mrs. Helen Nwobasi.

Nwanzuku is a key loyalist of the governor, while Mrs Nwobasi is said to be Josephine Elechi’s ally.

Elechi reportedly wants his successor to come from Ebonyi south, a zone whose sons spearheaded the creation of the state, but has never produced a governor.

Josephine Elechi’s elder brother Nwankwo is senator representing Ebonyi north senatorial district, the same zone that produced the immediate past governor, Dr. Sam Egwu.

According to sources close to the Ebonyi first family that Josephine is so bent on making her brother governor that she is already recruiting lawmakers to impeach her husband governor and his deputy, David Umahi.

Pointblanknews.com investigations revealed that the embattled Speaker of the Assembly Hon. Chukwuma Nwazunku supports Elechi’s position that power shift to the south, a stand that has pitted him against the governor’s wife.

Nwankwo’s governorship project is being allegedly financed by Anambra-born billionaire Clement Ibeto, a man whose bid for the state cement factory in Nkalagu was blocked by Elechi.

Also fingered as a co-financier is a prominent hotelier from the state.

Senator Nwankwo has also successfully recruited his nephew, his sister’s Abuja-based first son, Elechi Elechi, into the project.

A legislator said his colleagues were aware that the sudden change of guards at the Assembly was orchestrated by Mrs Elechi.

He claimed Nwobasi was under instructions from the powerful First Lady to begin impeachment process on her husband should he continue to oppose her brother’s ambition.

Mrs Elechi’s calculation, sources told Pointblanknews.com, was that in the event her husband and his deputy are impeached, Nwabosi would emerge the acting governor and bear the torch for Nwankwo to emerge governor.

“In that case, Nwabosi would preside over a fresh governorship election which would see Senator Nwankwo emerge the new governor,” offered a source, adding, “head or tail Josephine Elechi would continue as First Lady since her brother, who is over 70 years old, isn’t married.”

Curiously, Elechi isn’t seen to be lifting a finger to save his protege Nwazunku, fueling speculation that he may be a willing actor in the unfolding political drama.

A former legislator from the state said the shocking manner Elechi stopped Senator Tony Agbo from returning to the Senate, in 2011, for his brother in-law, gave him away as an “accomplice.”

He said, “At the time, Senator Agbo was the only senator loyal to Governor Elechi. It was taken for granted that he would get an automatic ticket. We were proved wrong. To our shock, Elechi blocked Agbo and presented his brother in-law as replacement.

“I won’t be surprised if the guy now wants to be governor, because it was a plan they hatched several years back, so Elechi shouldn’t deceive himself by now pretending not to be part of the grand scheme” he stressed.

However, parallel Speaker Mrs Nwobasi has denied harbouring any agenda to either impeach Elechi or make Nwankwo governor.

Nwobasi told journalists late last week that
she was focused on the task of running the Assembly, and denied insinuations that she was being tele-guided by Mrs Elechi.

According to the lawmaker, she remained the authentic Speaker, insisting that 18 out of the 24 lawmakers voted for Nwazunku’s removal.

Nwazunku has continued to lay claim to the Speakership as, according to him, the purported removal happened when the House was on recess.
With the dust generated by controversial change of guards yet to settle, Nwobasi late last week raised political eyebrows when she, accompanied by some colleague-lawmakers, visited the governor’s wife.

However, Mrs Elechi’s Press Secretary, Mr. Vincent Ologwu dismissed the visit as a private one.

Meanwhile the security situation in the state has remained tense as Nwazunku and Nwobasi have both continued to lay claim to the Speakership. More agitated are their supporters.

Last week, the police, apparently afraid of the possibility of a threat to law and order, ordered both “Speakers” and their supporters out of a state function that had Governor Elechi in attendance.

A member of the House, Hon. Enyi C Enyi was quick to remind Nwazunku that in 2011, when the first Speaker of the republic, Hon. Ikechukwu
Nwankwo was removed when the Assembly was also on recess.

Enyi explained that as lawmakers, relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution empowers to reconvene during recess on any matter of urgent importance.

Ebonyi Assembly has had its fair share of turbulence in leadership.

Ike Nwankwo was impeached in 2011 for what his colleagues called “gross
insubordination.” The following year, in 2012, Hon. Val Okike was removed as deputy Speaker. His offence was wearing a pair of boxers in public, and bringing the Assembly to disrepute.