7 lawmakers drop impeachment file against Governor

Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Martin Elechi, as seven out of the 15 members of the House of Assembly who endorsed an impeachment notice against him yesterday declared their readiness to discontinue with the project.
A statement made by the 7 honorable members said Our decision to withdraw from the impeachment plot was informed by far-reaching consultations within and outside our constituencies.  We were also touched by the deep political counseling from our leaders and elders which indicated that the long time demerits of the action would surpass whatever short term merits it may present.

“Most importantly, we were alarmed at the discovery that the impeachment, if consummated,  would spew deep political bad blood and dichotomy between the two political blocs in the state. Moreover, if we pursue this to a logical end, each of us would wear the stigma and badge of dishonor as the lawmakers who impeached their governor and the first set of legislators to impeach a sitting governor in the South-east.

“We are not prepared to earn any stigma that could outlive our tenures and political careers and even affect our children,” Enyi, who claimed to have spoken for the seven members who though he refused to name, noted.

He noted that plans to remove the governor started last year but was delayed until recently,  noting that: “With the situation of things, the exercise   remain dead forever. We declare that no amount of monetary oxygen would resurrect it as long as the business of impeachment is predicated on the arithmetic provided in the constitution.”

He further noted that while the process lasted, some extraneous political motives were injected to confer political mileage on some people, adding that the development doused the import of the impeachment option as part of the instruments of their oversight functions.

“Having discovered that the impeachment was not entirely intended as a means of instilling administrative sanity and probity, we saw the superior reason in allowing the governor round off the tenure of his mandate.”

While not exonerating the governor from the “various acts of lawlessness” levelled against him as contained in the impeachment notice,  the lawmaker asked the governor to use the remaining period he has as governor to drive the state on the path of peace and genuine reconciliation irrespective of political differences as that would help in preparing grounds for him to resume his seat as the foremost statesman of the state.

While also advising the candidates for various positions to go about their electioneering devoid of rancour, bitterness, hate speeches and name calling, Enyi urged them to leave the legislature alone in all their activities.