Elechi: Women protest impeachment move by lawmakers

Barely three days after the youths protested the impeachment move against Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State by some members of the state House of As­sembly, another group of women yesterday took to the streets of Abakaliki, protesting the move.
The protesters, number­ing over 5,000 converged on the Abakaliki township stadium where they took off through the old Enugu Road to Ogoja Road to Government House gate. Government officials, in­cluding the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Boniface Chima, received them.
The protesters carried placards with various in­scriptions such as “Ebonyi women want peace; Eb­onyi women condemn our governor’s impeachment; Goodluck Jonathan is our candidate and we want peace; we reject thuggery, stop it; Ebonyi State is not for sale; Ebonyi women say no to political vio­lence.”
Policemen followed the protesters closely to ensure peace and order, while ve­hicular and human move­ments were brought to a halt for about an hour. The women chanted songs of support for governor El­echi and President Good­luck Jonathan.
Commissioner for Wom­en Affairs, Mrs. Marry Joy Umoke, while presenting the women’s position on the need for peaceful state, of the state House of As­sembly not to carry out the impeachment, describing it as an attempt to smear the image of the governor and put the state into cha­os and anarchy, saying it would have adverse effect on the forthcoming general elections.