Bayelsa: Move to Impeach Speaker Fails

Bayelsa: Move to Impeach Speaker Fails

SPEAKER of the home state of Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan, Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Konbowei Benson Friday, has denied his purported impeachment by 11 members of the parliament last Monday, saying their action did not comply with the standing orders of the House.

Special Assistant to the Speaker on Media and Publicity, Piriye Kiyaramo, told AkanimoReports on Friday that the purported impeachment of his boss was an embarrassment to the government and people of the state, maintaining that the exercise did not comply Order 44 of the Standing Orders of the House.

According to him, ''the House had earlier adjourned its sitting last week Wednesday, May 30, 2012, to Tuesday, June 5, 2012, to enable it to transmit previously passed bills to the governor for his assent.

''While most of the members who traveled, were on their way back to the state, the 11 members, led by the former acting governor, Mr. Nestor Binabo, forcefully made their way into the hallow chamber of the House, claiming to have received directives from the state governor to hold an emergency session on that fateful Monday to consider what they described as matters of urgent public importance.

''However, being blindfolded by their desperation to unseat the speaker, before he returned from his family medical trip, they went ahead to sit without the symbol of authority in the House, being the mace, contrary to the tradition and practice in every parliament, the world over, meaning that whatever decision, taken on the sacred floor of the House on that Monday amounted to an exercise in futility''.

He is claiming that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides that, before a Speaker or his deputy could be removed, there must be a two-third majority of members present on the floor of the House, being 16 members out of the 24 members in the case of Bayelsa State House of Assembly, to constitute the constitutionally required two third majority.

The speaker has therefore challenged the 11 members that carried out the purported impeachment exercise to provide proof of evidence to the contrary, if they had two-third majority of members during their purported sitting to impeach him.

''Prior to this unfortunate incident, which of course, is a distraction to the transformation agenda of the state governor, the House had enjoyed a very cordial working relationship with the executive arm to the admiration of the people of Bayelsa, with a record passage of about 10 bills in just two months, a feat that is being applauded by all well meaning individuals, within and outside the state, describing it as being the first of its kind in the of country.

''That the existing harmonious relationship between the House and the executive arm has been mutually beneficial to the two arms of government.

''The 11 members who carried out the purported impeachment attempt of the speaker are being instigated to fuel crisis between the House and the executive arm of government, to the detriment of the anticipated rapid infrastructural development of Bayelsa state'', he said.

According to him, the exercise was ill intended and did not comply with the provisions of the constitution and the standing rules of the House

The leadership and the House has accordingly tender an unreserved apology to President Jonathan, and Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, for what they described as ''the embarrassment and unnecessary distraction'' the purported impeachment episode may have caused them and the people of the state, ''at a time when the whole country is mourning the colossal loss of lives, occasioned by the ill-fated Dana Airline crash in Lagos''. ENDS

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