Enugu State Chief Judge, Justice Innocent Umezulike, yesterday inaugurated a seven-member panel to investigate the allegations levelled against the Deputy Governor of the state, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, with a call on the members to discharge their duties without fear or favour.
The chief judge said he was under a constitutional obligation to inaugurate the panel, adding that the chairman and members were carefully chosen to ensure that there were no cleavages that could hinder their effective and impartial performance.
He said: “I must inform you that the glue that holds you together are your uncommon integrity and non-partisanship in political activities. With this coalescence of chemistry and symmetry, I am entitled to hope that you will discharge your functions without fear or favour.
“I need here to remind you that the constitutional or democratic history of Enugu State will not be complete without a chapter of the functions you are about to perform. I, therefore, urge you to perform this constitutional function in a manner that will elicit commendation rather than condemnation from legal and constitutional historians.
“Your activities during this period will be monitored with a detective eye and so you must conduct yourselves like Caesar’s wife.”
Responding, Chairman of the panel, Oraekeyi Franklin, assured that the panel would not witch-hunt anybody, but would ensure equity, fairness, justice and neutrality in carrying out the assignment.
He, however, urged people, who would appear before the panel to understand that it was not a law court but a fact-finding panel.
“We shall not allow technicalities to be a cog in the wheel of our proceedings. Our proceedings shall be guided by the rules made by the Enugu House of Assembly pursuant to Section 188(7) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
“Our duty is just to conduct an investigation of the charges handed over to us and make a report of our findings known to the House of Assembly of Enugu State,” he said.
The chairman announced that the panel would commence sitting today at 9 a.m. and urged every person concerned with the business of investigation to accord time a primary place.
Oraekeyi urged the media to be responsible and professional in their reports of the proceedings of the panel.
Other members of the panel were Mrs. Praise Anyim, Aroh Perfectious, Pastor Uluakanwa Oko, Elder Nnamdi Onyenwuru, Marcel Eze and Dr. Anthony Iguh.

Impeachment: Enugu CJ inaugurates panel