Two speakers emerge in Bayelsa Assembly

There was a drama at the Bayelsa State House of Assembly yesterday as the Speaker, Mr Tonye Emmanuel Isenah was purportedly impeached after he had announced a long recess and left with the mace.

The embattled speaker has been facing pressure from Governor Seriake Dickson to resign from his position for someone from Southern Ijaw local government to emerged or face impeachment.

He was rumoured to have accepted to step aside on Monday during the plenary, but instead of announcing his resignation, he announced a long recess for the assembly until after the governorship election in the state.

He also adjourned the house to be convened after the recess and made away with the mace, a situation that created tension in the assembly. Irate youths invaded the premises, engaged in a gun battle with the security operatives and chased the lawmakers away.

But after the incident, the deputy speaker of the house, Mr Nigobere Sylva, presided over another sitting attended by about 18 members and impeached the Speaker, Isenah. Mr Monday Obolo, representing Southern Ijaw Constituency lll, was elected as the new speaker.

Meanwhile, the embattled speaker, Mr Isenah, has said that he still remained the speaker of the assembly after successfully presiding over the plenary and announcing recess for the assembly.

“I went to the house, all members entered the chambers for our sitting, after addressing the house, as the presiding officer, I announced the recess, so the house is on recess.

“I presided over the house as Speaker, I did not to preside as impeached speaker or speaker that resigned, I presided as authentic speaker of the house and I’ve adjourned the house.

“Anything that happens in that house without me reconvening the house is illegal, and it remains an illegality, that is what I want all Bayelsans and Nigerians to know. Constitutionally, the legislature is an independent arm of government, and that arm needs to be respected and the ideal of separation of power needs to be respected. That house has been adjourned,” he said. There was low turnout of registered voters for collection of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) at designated centres in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, as the distribution of cards by INEC ended yesterday.

Our correspondent, who monitored the PVCs collection in Lokoja yesterday, reported that