Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Kombowei Benson, Bayelsa State Speaker
Kombowei Benson, Speaker of Bayelsa State House of Assembly on Thursday swore-in some opposition members after pressure was mounted on him to do so.
The opposition lawmakers were sworn-in four months after they were declared winners by the court.
The three lawmakers inaugurated are: Watson Belemote of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, representing Brass Constituency 2; Gibson Munalayefa of the Labour Party for Ogbia Constituency 2 and Gabriel Ogbara of African Democratic Congress for Ogbia Constituency 3.
The ceremony held after the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, declared them winners of their various constituencies about four months ago.
Before their swearing in the Peoples Democratic Party-dominated Assembly under the leadership of under the leadership of Kombowei Benson had attracted public opprobrium for failing to swear them in.
The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice which was inundated with protests had expressed concern over the disobedience of the appellate court’s judgement.
The Bayelsa State Government had in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Chief Jonathan Obueibite, dissociated Dickson from the alleged controversy.
“The Bayelsa Governor, Seriake Dickson, has never interfered with the affairs of the state House of Assembly. The State Assembly is not subject to the unilateral control of the state executive,” Obuebite had said.
During Thursday’s plenary, Benson announced the names of the three opposition legislators and asked them to take their oath of allegiance.
He said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) having forwarded the names of the three persons to the House of Assembly, it was only constitutional and customary that they swore them in to enable them to take their proper place in the hallowed chamber.
He also dispelled insinuation that the Governor Dickson masterminded the delay in swearing them in, noting that, criticism of the governor in …Read More
Source:: PM Newspaper
