By Tony Edike

ENUGU — The 7-man probe panel set up by Enugu State Chief Judge, Justice Innocent Umezulike, to investigate allegations of misconduct against the deputy governor, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, commenced its sitting, yesterday, announcing a ban on media coverage of its proceedings.

Unconfirmed reports said that Governor Sullivan Chime may have nominated his Special Assistant on Project Development Implementation, PDI, Mr. Uche Nwobodo, as replacement for the embattled deputy governor.
Nwobodo, who is the son of the former Chairman of Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission, ENSIEC, is from Nara community in Nkanu East Local Government Area, while the deputy governor hails from neigbouring Isiogbo Nara.

Meanwhile, the fund raising event slated for Saturday to raise funds for the ongoing construction of the state Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, secretariat complex at the Liberty Centre, Enugu, was put off, yesterday, apparently due to the current impeachment crisis in the state.

Chairman of the Impeachment panel, Mr. Oraekeyi Uche Franklin, at the inaugural sitting of the panel billed to commence by 9a.m., yesterday, apologised for starting at 10:43a.m.
The panel chairman said though the panel members arrived in record time, none of the parties was seen in court, prompting them to resume later than 9a.m.

He further said: “We want to reiterate the point we made, yesterday, (Tuesday). We are not a tool for political witch-hunt.
“We will give fair hearing to all the parties to come and prove or defend the allegations as the case may be. Nobody should entertain any fear.

“It is an investigative sitting, we will not hold public sittings; after today, there will be restrictions, we may not allow the press; the only people we shall allow here are Enugu State House of Assembly members, the Deputy Governor or their lawyers.”

Meanwhile, none of the contending parties was present during the inaugural sitting.
Mr. Innocent Eze, the Director of Civil Litigation in the Enugu State Ministry of Justice, who appeared for the state, told the panel that “ordinarily, there is supposed to be evidence of service of notices of this sitting on the parties involved.

“So, I don’t know whether there is proof of service from the records of the panel.”
Oraekeyi  said there was no proof of service, stressing that since the issue of service was very fundamental, it had to be tackled properly.
The panel, therefore, ordered that “a summon should be served on the Hon. Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly and the Deputy Governor as well as any other witness in the matter.”