By Our correspondent
Published: Saturday, 30 Dec 2006

A High Court in the state capital, presided over by Justice Umegbolu Nri-Ezedi, had on Thursday annulled the impeachment of Obi by a faction of the state House of Assembly on November 2.

Tension mounted in the state after the judgment, following speculations that Obi would return to office on Friday and ask his successor, Mrs. Virgy Etiaba to return to her previous position of deputy governor.

Saturday Punch learnt that, Etiaba, who had already been picked by the All Progressives Grand Alliance to fly its flag at next year’s governorship election, was consolidating the gains of her administration rather than relinquishing power.

But, on Friday, the runoured confrontation between the two public officials did not take place as Obi failed to turn up at the Government House.

It was gathered that, the restored governor, on the advice of his lawyers, avoided coming to the office because the defendants (House Assembly Speaker, Mike Balonwu, and five others) in the suit had entered an appeal against the judgment at the Enugu Division of the Court of Appeal.

“He is the patient type; Obi believes in the judicial process. If his lawyers have been duly served with the appeal processes, he is not likely to rush to office.

“There was also another matter they (defendants) instituted, praying for a stay of execution of the court judgment. So Obi is likely going to allow the processes go through first,” a source told Saturday Punch on Friday.

The source spoke just as the media aide to Etiaba, Mr. Mike Udah, denied that there was a rift between Obi and Etiaba.

He also said that Etiaba was not disposed to speaking on the outcome of the court’s decision because there was “really no basis for that.”

Udah, who incidentally, was the media aide to Obi before he was impeached, explained that the two public officials would not clash with each other because they had “a common agenda.”

He said, “The government’s position is that the governor will not speak on the issue.”

Etiaba worked till about 3.35pm in office on Friday, receiving visitors and presiding over a State Executive Council meeting before she left the Government House.

Saturday Punch tried without success to get Obi on his mobile telephone. A check at a residence he once stayed in Awka showed that he had checked out of the place.

Obi drove into Awka on Thursday, shortly after the judgment was delivered.

He later drove off to an undisclosed destination after he told journalists that he was prepared to forget the past and work with the House of Assembly to move the state ahead.