By Tony Edike

ENUGU—Enugu State Government, Monday, dismissed as cheap and mischievous a media report which claimed that the state governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime was ill and being treated abroad, reaffirming that he was “hale and hearty.”

Reacting to the report on the governor’s purported ailment by a national daily (not Vanguard) last Sunday, the State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Chuks Ugwoke, stated that the governor was enjoying his vacation, the first he has taken since he was sworn into office five years ago.

He stressed that contrary to the report that that the governor’s last public appearance was on September 9, 2012, Chime had actually presided over the State Executive Council meeting on September 18, 2012, where he announced to all the members that he was proceeding on his annual leave and constitutionally handed over the reins of power to his deputy, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi who is today the acting governor of the State.

The commissioner further pointed out that Chime also attended a meeting of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum in Abuja on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 and travelled out the next day on his vacation, adding that “all these facts are verifiable.”

He stated that it was also very uncharitable for the same reporter to falsely claim that the Acting Governor was limited in the discharge of his responsibilities while also wondering why a Journalist would deliberately go out of his way to publish outright falsehood about a person’s health status.

“Having said all these, we want to reaffirm that the Government of His Excellency Sullivan Iheanacho Chime will continue to promote freedom of expression while also maintaining its cherished reputation of civility and accommodation of all shades of opinion, including constructive criticisms from the media and other quarters,” the Commissioner added.

The report quoting sources from the Enugu State Government House said that all might not be well with Chime’s health, claiming that the last public appearance of the governor  was at the meeting of South-East Governors Forum on September 9, 2012 in Enugu and since then, he was yet to be seen by Journalists in the Government House  and public functions.

It added that thde Deputy Governor, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, mandated to act in the governor’s capacity was incapacitated owing to the alleged directive by his principal that he “should not approve more than N500,000 for any project, no matter the circumstance.”

But the government’s spokesman (Ugwoke) dismissed the claim saying the governor who is currently on vacation was hale and hearty wherever he was.