National Wire About Nigerians, Nigerian Business and Other Stories
BY: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
It is no longer news that Bayelsans and the world over Monday watched in amazement and awry as the elected legislators of the Bayelsa state House of Assembly consciously and unwittingly sacked their speaker, Tonye Isenah just as the latter presided over and adjourned sitting sine die.
Though political commentators and observers of the politics of the electioneering state have opinionated and insinuated that the speaker’s impeachment would have since come and gone beforehand other than that Monday.
One thing that would linger on in the minds and innermost recesses of eye witnesses was the commando-like scenario and impunity measures employed by the actors of the impeachment process.
Like an Arnold Schwarzenegger’s movie, the purportedly toppled Isenah made way with the mace, gavel, wig and other speakership ornaments, even as the chiefs and masterminds of the act have also beefed up security in and around the legislature premises to cordon-off suspected and perceived loyalists to the ousted speaker, would-be trouble makers, the press and even visitors to the parliament.
And with police men wielding rifles and ammunitions fiercely and fearlessly shooting within the Assembly Environs, demonstrating loyalty to those who have commissioned them there on one side and protecting their principals and the vulnerable on the other hand, it was tempting not to say that a new form of insurgency under the guise of parliamentarianism has engulfed the state.
But it was rather too perplexing that except for two or three, the lawmakers in an unusual characteristics owing to the sake of perfecting their Arts also barricaded the press which for years have been covering their plenary from witnessing what they were bent to do. But worst of all, who, how and where was a second Mace and other Speaker’s regalia brought into the house? Was it through the back or front doors?
From 1999, the beginning of Democratic rebirth and experiment in Nigeria, not excluding Bayelsa State, save for a few federating units that have had a peaceful, unbiased Democratic impeachment of either governors or their deputies, speakers or their deputies, the laws and procedures for this onerous Democratic check has at several instances been flawed, most especially in Bayelsa State with regard to the Heineken Lokpobiri’s impeachment in 2001, the Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha’s and Boyelayefa Debekeme’s in 2005, Peremobowei Ebebi’s in 2010 and the trending Tonye Isenah’s .
For instance, the constitutionality, legality or otherwise of the speaker’s ordeal has been questioned by notable legal minds and parliamentary procedural experts, raising doubts as to whether or not the House after adjournment by the deposed Speaker shortly after the day’s sitting has the locus standi to reconvene without the leave of the speaker who has just made an adjournment.
However those for and against the impeachment may view it, one paramount and anew phenomena that has recently crept into the Nigerian Legislative Arms, notably the states is that more often than known Governors have been the brains behind these incessant legislative power-shows so much so that the Bayelsa raving scenario has proven that our lawmakers have become mere puppets in the hands of Governors.
A school of thought in Bayelsa says that the essence of the speaker’s impeachment was for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to balance power in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state where the new speaker, Monday Obolo is hail from so as to checkmate the overreach of the All Progressives Congress, APC and its gubernatorial standard bearer, Chief David Lyon who himself is from the same Local Government with Obolo.
But can a single individual hold an entire state to ransom in the name of politicking? Can balance of power with impurity be separated watertight from dictatorship and lawlessness? In situation where helpless and hapless citizens began to scamper for the safety of their life’s in an office occupied by people given the mandate to make laws for their safety, security and general well-being.
Another school of thinking has also questioned why the reason for the sudden impeachment when save for the D-day of the trending imbroglio no allegations of constitutional breaches nor any incriminating accusation(s) have not been leveled against the ousted Chief principal officer of the State’s legislature?
Without regard to law and order a supposedly hallowed ground was desecrated with sporadic gunshots as gun toting uniform security operatives alongside miscreants loyal to some lawmakers and their kick-side and partners pulled triggers frightening the entire gamut of the public going about their daily sources of livelihood in and around the vicinity of the parliament as though they were being hunted.
Irrespective of our political inclinations, affiliations and ideologues as a state today, Bayelsans make bold to say that with the height of dishonour and desecration of a foremost and sacrosanct arm of Government as the legislature, a vote of no-confidence is here and now passed on the 6th Assembly of the state.
