Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa has
endorsed the election of a new
Speaker for Bayelsa House of
Assembly which took place under
chaotic circumstances on Monday.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
reports that there was heavy shooting
at the Bayelsa House of Assembly
during a session of the assembly
when hundreds of youths stormed the
assembly complex in Yenagoa.
Speaker of the Assembly, Mr
Emmanuel Isenah, had adjourned the
session indefinitely for the house to
proceed on recess.
But the youth who besieged the
assembly immediately shot
sporadically and made away with the
mace while some members of the
Assembly were still in the chambers.
Some members who sat back
reportedly resumed sitting and
allegedly impeached the speaker in
absentia and elected Mr Monday
Obolo (PDP-Southern Ijaw
Constituency 2) to replace Isenah.
Dickson, congratulated the newly-
elected Speaker, Obolo, in a
statement issued on Monday evening
by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr
Fidelis Soriwei.
According to the statement, Obolo is
elected Speaker following the
impeachment of the former Speaker,
Isenah, on Monday.
NAN, however, gathered that the PDP
leadership had advised Isenah to
resign or face impeachment for the
party to realign the balance of power
since Isenah hails from the same area
as PDP’s candidate in the Nov. 16
guber poll.
Isenah had held the view that his
resignation was premature and could
only happen after the polls.
The party believed that giving the
position to Southern Ijaw, the zone
where the candidate of the rival All
Progressives Congress hails from
might sway voters.
Reacting to the development in a
telephone chat, Isenah said that he
remained the Speaker as he had
earlier adjourned the sitting sine die
and only him could re-convene the
house.
“I did not resign, neither was I
impeached, I presided over the house
and I did not preside as an
impeached speaker so as we speak
the house is on recess and anything
done by anyone is a nullity.
“The speculation that there was an
understanding that I will resign is
false; I challenge anyone canvassing
that position to come up with a proof.
“The Bayelsa House of Assembly is
an independent arm of government
and I want the people of Bayelsa and
every stakeholder to know that what
happened after we went on recess “is
illegal and therefore a nullity,” Isenah
said. (NAN)
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