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Tag: Speaker

  • LG chairmen to enjoy four years tenure

    LG chairmen to enjoy four years tenure

    Lagos State House of Assembly is set to amend the local government administration law to make the tenure of the office of council chairmen four-years instead of three as it is currently.

     

    The proposed amendment is sponsored by the Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa and the sections to be affected by the amendment include sections 27 (1), 24 (a) and an inclusion of 12 (1).

     

    In the motion which was moved on the floor of the House during plenary yesterday, the Chairman, House Committee on Local Government Administration, Hon.Kazeem Alimi explained that the tenures of council chairmen and councilors would be adjusted to be in line with other representatives at the state level.

     

    According to him, the proposed amendment would also take charge of the power of the state Assembly to enforce removal or suspension of any erring council chairman upon a petition from the concerned councillors.

     

    Alimi also disclosed that the law would make categorical statements that any chairman who had served for two terms would not be eligible to contest any election as the head of local administration.

     

    In his contribution, the Majority Leader, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade maintained that the Nigeria constitution gives state Assembly the power to create local government, adding that for such creation to be effective the House should also have the power to sanction any chairman if found wanting.

     

    While stressing the need for the amendment, Hon. Bisi Yusuff (Alimosho 1) commended the courage of the Speaker for coming up with the new Bill, saying “previous efforts aimed at amending the law had proved abortive.”

     

    Hon. Adefunmilayo Tejuoso (Mushin 2) stated that after the creation of councils, it is crucial for us to monitor the activities of the council bosses, saying “failure to carry out proper investigation and pass resolution that must be obeyed, will be counter-productive.”

     

    However, the Deputy Majority Leader, Wahab Jimoh cautioned his colleagues over proposed section that empowers the House to remove or suspend defaulting council chairmen.

     

    Jimoh argued that the House should not make councillors handicapped, saying the legislative arm at the third tier of government is also paramount.

     

    While supporting Jimoh’s position, another member, Hon. Ibrahim Layode (Badagry 1) said “section 24 (a) needs better explanation so that we don’t harmstrung the legislature at the local level.”

     

    The Speaker however explained that there was need to allow the resolution of the House to be enforceable. He explained further that there was no provision that takes over the power of the councillors in the proposed amendments.

     

    Obasa recalled that “we had passed resolutions on two or three council chairmen for them to be removed in the past but the Governor did not comply. With this new amendment, we as a House, can go ahead with the removal.”

  • Dickson, Bayelsa Speaker get knocks for lawmakers’, workers’ plight

    Dickson, Bayelsa Speaker get knocks for lawmakers’, workers’ plight

    The Bayelsa First Initiative (BFI) has blasted Governor Seriake Dickson and House of Assembly Speaker Kombowei Benson for failing to swear in the lawmakers elected on the platform of opposition parties.

    The alleged ill-treatment of the three opposition members drew the ire of BFI, a group of former elected and appointed political office holders.

    It accused Dickson of conspiring with the Assembly’s leadership, led by Benson, to stop the swearing-in of the three lawmakers.

    The members are: Watson Belemote, of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), representing Brass 2; Gibson Munalayefa, of the Labour Party (LP), Ogbia 2 and Gabriel Ogbara, of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ogbia 3.

    They were declared winners two months ago by the Appeal Court, sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

    But the Assembly’s leadership, dominated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ignored them and inaugurated their party members, who won rerun in March.

    The aggrieved members sent a protest letter to the leadership of the National Assembly and the attorney-general of the federation (AGF), urging them to stop the impunity.

    BFI’s Executive Director Chief Nathan Egba condemned the ‘’anti-democratic’’ stance of Dickson and Benson.

    The activist warned that the governor’s continued failure to prevail on the Assembly’s leadership to swear in the three minority party members signalled a danger for the state.

    He said the state was setting a bad precedent, which future Assembly could also follow.

    Egba described Dickson’s alleged directive to his Special Adviser on Treasury Matters, Mr Seipulo, to remove over 500 civil servants from the payroll for allegedly supporting the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the governorship poll, as the worst decision of any governor.

    He said most of Dickson’s policies and statements, following his controversial re-election, was dividing residents.

    Egba said: “For instance, do the governor and the Assembly leadership think the people of Brass 2 as well as Ogbia 2 and 3 will be happy with the administration for shutting them out of the legislative process for almost a year?

    “We call on rulers, non-government organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations, lawyers, particularly the AGF, and that of Bayelsa State as well as the leadership of the National Assembly, to prevail on Governor Dickson and the leadership of the House of Assembly to do the right thing.”

  • Bayelsa Assembly re-elects ex-Speaker

    Bayelsa Assembly re-elects ex-Speaker

    The Bayelsa State House of Assembly has re-elected Mr. Konbowei Benson as its Speaker.

    Benson, a former speaker of the House was sacked by the Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt but emerged victorious in a rerun poll conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Southern Ijaw Constituency 4.

    Shortly after receiving his Certificate of Return following his re-election, it was gathered that Benson was inaugurated  as a member of the House and reelected by the lawmakers as their speaker on Monday.

    Benson and Michael Ogbere, who won the rerun election in Ekeremor Constituency III were inaugurated during the sitting presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Abraham Ingobere.

    The Deputy Leader of the House, Mr. Tonye Isenah representing Kolokuma/Opokuma Constituency I, reportedly moved a motion to re-elect Benson as the Speaker.

    The motion was said to have been seconded by Mr. Monday Bubou Obolo, Southern Ijaw Constituency II.

    Benson is the highest ranking state lawmaker in the history of Bayelsa having occupied the Southern Ijaw Constituency 4 seat in four tenures.

    After taking oath of office as Speaker, Benson, expressed gratitude to the Governor of the State, Mr. Seriake Dickson and members of the House for the confidence repose in him.

    The Speaker assured members of his readiness to work closely with them irrespective of party affiliations and urged Bayelsans to support the House in making good laws for the state.

    He said the recent political development strengthened him to give his best to the state.

    He said: “I will continue to serve my people and the state. I thank the Governor and my colleagues for their confidence in me. I will not fail them. As a House, we will continue to make good laws to better the society”, Benson said.

    The new Speaker is expected to inaugurate the three opposition members-elect who were declared winners of their state Constituencies by the Court of Appeal.

    They are Mr. Alfred Belemote Watson, Brass Constituency II (APGA), Mr. Michael Ogbara, Ogbia III (ADC) and Mr. Munalayefa Gibson, Ogbia II (Labour Party).

  • Ex-Bayelsa Speaker wins rerun poll

    The former Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Mr. Kombowei Benson, who was sacked by the Court of Appeal, yesterday, retained his Southern Ijaw seat after winning a rerun poll.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won the two assembly rerun elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Southern Ijaw 4 and Ekeremor 3 on Saturday.

    Benson won in Southern Ijaw; Mr. Michael Ogbere clinched the Ekeremor seat.

    Kombowei polled 10,033 votes to beat the candidates of  All Progressives Congress, (APC), who got 2, 595 votes and Alliance for Democracy (AD), with 2,467 votes.

    Declaring the Southern Ijaw 4 result, Returning Officer Dr. Bertola Perekeme said Benson satisfied the requirements to be declared winner.

    In Ekeremor 3, Returning Officer Dr. Johnson Dagana said Mr. Michael Ogbere of the PDP won with 4,246 votes to defeat the DPP candidate, who polled 74 votes.

    Ogbere also defeated the candidate of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), Victor Perezi, who went to court to annul the former election.

    Perezi, who won the election in 2011 scored 45 votes.

    Speaking on the election, Benson, said the nullification of his earlier election was regrettable and unnecessary.

    He said: “What really beat my imagination was the fact that the Court of Appeal could deliver different judgments; one nullifying my election and the other dismissing the petition leading to our going back for elections. By the grace of God, we have won as expected and am happy we are back on stage”.

    Benson insisted that he was a force to reckon with in the constituency, judging from the landslide victory recorded in the rerun.

    On whether he would go back to the House to assume his duty as the Speaker, Benson, said: “It is not in my place to decide which office I hold”.

  • Controversy in Bayelsa as Speaker hangs on to seat

    Controversy in Bayelsa as Speaker hangs on to seat

    Bayelsa Speaker Kombowei Benson yesterday vowed not to vacate his Southern Ijaw Constituency 4 seat following controversies surrounding the Court of Appeal judgement that declared his April 11, 2015 election null and void.

    Benson insisted that the purported written judgement was different from the record of court’s proceeding on December 9, 2015.

    The Court of Appeal sitting in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, in a written judgement delivered on December 9, 2015 nullified the April 2015 election that returned Benson.

    The court, in a copy of the ruling, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh poll within 90 days to fill the seat.

    The Speaker was sacked in a case filed by Mr. Ebifaghe Orunimighe, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the seat of the House of Assembly in Southern Ijaw Constituency 4.

    According to a copy of the judgement, Justices Mohammed Lawal Garba, Ejembi Eko and Stephen Jonah Adah, sat on the three-man panel that nullified Benson’s election.

    The judgement, which resolved issues 1, 2 and 3 in favour of the APC candidate, was delivered by Justice Ejembi Eko and signed by other justices on the panel.

    Eko said:  “I allow the appeal in substantial part. My findings on issues 1, 2 and 3 justify the declaration that the election/return of the first respondent Hon. Benson Friday Kombowei, as the purported winner of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly seat for Southern Ijaw Constituency 4 elections held on April 11, 2015 was null and void.”

    But about 60 days after, Benson faulted the authenticity of the written judgement saying the record of proceeding on that day showed that the appeal of the APC candidate was dismissed in the open court.

    Addressing journalists in his office at the House of Assembly complex Yenagoa, Benson insisted that the ruling of 9th December upheld his election and dismissed the appeal filed by the APC candidate.

    He said: “On the 9th of December, the appeal court dismissed the appeal by Orunimighe challenging my election. On January 14th, a purported judgement alleging that my election has been declared null and void emerged. This is strange and untrue.

    “What transpired in the open court in the presence of lawyers was outright dismissal of the appeal brought by my opponent. The judgement was delivered in the open court thereby upholding my election in the House of Assembly.”

    Benson said to further clarify the issues and put the record straight, he had through his team of lawyers filed a motion on notice praying the Appeal Court to set aside the judgement that was not in conformity with its declaration in the open court on December 9.

    He said the motion on notice further prayed the court to make an order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stay execution on the judgment pending the determination of the motion on notice.

    “This motion has been served on the National Judicial Commission (NJC), President of the Appeal Court, the Department of Security Service (DSS), Commissioner of Police, Clerk of the House and other officers and some important personalities.’’

    Benson said he remained the speaker and would continue to preside over the affairs of the House of Assembly pending resolution of the case.

    But the APC candidate for Southern Ijaw Constituency 4 accompanied by his Media Aide, Bodmas Debekeme and his lawyer, called on Benson to respect the judgment of the Court of Appeal and stop playing to the gallery.

    Oruminighe warned Benson to stop parading himself as Speaker or risk going to prison for contempt.

    He noted that his lawyers had begun a process of filling a contempt suit against Benson.

    According to him: “It is unfortunate that Kombowei Benson is accentuated by greed and desperation to disseminate such deliberate falsehood to mislead members of the society including his pastors and church members.’’

    He noted that the Court of Appeal did not give two conflicting judgments as falsely claimed by Benson.

    He said that the judgement which sacked Benson was the only subsisting judgement adding that speaker, his team of lawyers, had copies of the same ruling.

     

  • Controversy in Bayelsa over Speaker’s sack

    Controversy in Bayelsa over Speaker’s sack

    The Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Mr. Kombowei Benson, Saturday, said he would not vacate the Southern Ijaw Constituency 4 seat following controversies surrounding the Court of Appeal judgement that declared his April 11, 2015 election null and void.

    Benson remained adamant insisting that the purported written judgement was different from the record of court’s proceeding on December 9, 2015.

    The Court of Appeal sitting in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, in a written judgement delivered on December 9, 2015 nullified the April 2015 election that returned Benson.

    The court in a copy of the ruling, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh poll within 90 days to fill the seat.

    The Speaker was sacked in a case filed by Mr. Ebifaghe Orunimighe, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the seat of the House of Assembly in Southern Ijaw Constituency 4.

    According to a copy of the judgement, Justices Mohammed Lawal Garba, Ejembi Eko and Stephen Jonah Adah, sat on the three-man panel that nullified Benson’s election.

    The judgement which resolved issues 1,2 and 3 in favour of the APC candidate, was delivered by Justice Ejembi Eko and signed by other justices on the panel.

    Eko said: “I allow the appeal in substantial part. My findings on issues 1, 2 and 3 justify the declaration that the election/return of the first respondent Hon. Benson Friday Kombowei, as the purported winner of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly seat for Southern Ijaw Constituency 4 elections held on April 11, 2015 was null and void.

    But about 60 days after, Benson faulted the authenticity of the written judgement saying the record of proceeding on that day showed that the appeal of the APC candidate was dismissed in the open court.

    Addressing journalists in his office at the House of Assembly complex Yenagoa, Benson insisted that the ruling of 9th December upheld his election and dismissed the appeal filed by the APC candidate.

    He said: “On the 9th of December, the appeal court dismissed the appeal by Orunimighe challenging my election. On January 14th, a purported judgement alleging that my election has been declared null and void emerged. This is strange and untrue.

    “What transpired in the open court in the presence of lawyers was outright dismissal of the appeal brought by my opponent. The judgement was delivered in the open court thereby upholding my election in the House of Assembly.”

    Benson said to further clarify the issues and put the record straight, he had through his team of lawyers filed a motion on notice praying the Appeal Court to set aside the judgement that was not in conformity with its declaration in the open court on December 9.

    He said the motion on notice further prayed the court to make an order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stay execution on the judgment pending the determination of the motion on notice.

    “This motion has been served on the National Judicial Commission (NJC), President of the Appeal Court, the Department of Security Service (DSS), Commissioner of Police, Clerk of the House and other officers and some important personalities.

    “My team of lawyers and other lawyers who were in court have also in the same vein have also sworn to the affidavit to the fact that the judgement delivered in the open court was dismissed,” he said.

    Benson said he remained the speaker and would continue to preside over the affairs of the House of Assembly pending the resolution if the case.

    But the APC candidate for Southern Ijaw Constituency 4 accompanied by his Media Aide, Bodmas Debekeme and his lawyer, in a separate press briefing, called on Benson to respect the judgment of the Court of Appeal and stop playing to the gallery.

    Oruminighe warned Benson to stop parading himself as Speaker or risk going to prison for contempt.

    At the news conference entitled, ‘Contemptuous conduct of Kombowei Benson – former Speaker’, Oruminighe noted that his lawyers had begun a process of filling a contempt suit against Benson.

    He said: “Our attention has been drawn to recent reports credited to Kombowei Benson where he unequivocally stated that he still remained the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly because the judgement declared by the Court of Appeal in open court on December 9, 2015 affirmed his victory.

    “Ordinarily, we should not have reacted to such fallacious publications, but our reticence may mislead the unseeming minds from discerning between reality and fiction.

    “It is based on this realisation that we are indeed compelled to react. It is unfortunate that Kombowei Benson is accentuated by greed and desperation to disseminate such deliberate falsehood to mislead members of the society including his pastors and church members.

    “Elementary intelligence, logic and commonsense suggests that a person who claims to win a case should produce the judgement of the court confirming his victory. Where is the judgement delivered on December 9, 2015, where Konbowei claimed victory?

    “For the avoidance of doubt, let it be established right away that the unanimous judgement of the court of appeal delivered by Justice Ejembi Eko, JCA on December 9, 2015 declared the election of Benson as the purported winner of the House of Assembly seat for southern Ijaw Constituency 4, held on the 11th April, 2015 as null and void.

    “Therefore, the Appeal Court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct elections within 90 days from the date of judgement.”

    He noted that the Court of Appeal did not give two conflicting judgements as falsely claimed by Benson.

    He said that the judgement which sacked Benson was the only subsisting judgement adding that speaker, his team of lawyers, had copies of the same ruling.

    According to him Benson in utter defiance to the judgement of the Court of Appeal, presided over the 2016 budget presented on the floor of the House by Governor Seriake Dickson on January 15, 2016.

    Orunimighe said: “It is worrisome that the conduct of Benson borders on contempt of court and wanton disregard for the rule of Law.

    “As you are aware, the illegality perpetrated by the ex-Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and members of the PDP-led Government is an absolute display of lawlessness reminiscence of the Hobberisan state of nature.”

    He urged the members of the public to disregard the innuendoes of Benson and advised the embattled Speaker to stop engaging in acts that were tantamount to disobeying the lawful and valid judgement of the Court of Appeal.

  • Bayelsa Speaker remains in office after court’s sack

    •Receives budget from Dickson

    The Court of Appeal, sitting in Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, has sacked Bayelsa State House of Assembly Speaker Kombowei Benson.

    A copy of the court’s judgment, which our correspondent obtained at the weekend, indicated that the April 2015 election, which returned Benson to the Assembly, was nullified on December 9, last year.

    But our correspondent observed that despite the court’s order, Kombowei has remained in office and, last Friday, about 40 days after the judgment, he chaired the Assembly when it received this year’s state Appropriation Bill from Governor Seriake Dickson.

    The Speaker was sacked in a case filed by Mr. Ebifaghe Orunimighe, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Southern Ijaw Constituency 4.

    Orunimighe challenged Kombowei’s victory on the grounds that an election did not take place in four wards.

    According to him, even where elections were held, there was over-voting.

    Oruminighe averred that there was no election in Olodiama Ward 3, Apoi Ward 15, Forupa Ward 14 and Ukubie Ward 16.

    On October 16, last year, the House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, presided over by Justice Ononnaeze Madu, dismissed Orunimighe’s petition for lack of proof.

    But justices Mohammed Garba, Ejembi Eko and Stephen Adah, who sat on the appeal panel which delivered the judgment, set aside the decision of the tribunal and upheld Oruminighe’s prayers.

    In the judgment delivered by Justice Eko, the panel decided that the appellants had proved with their evidence that there was no election at Appoi Ward; yet, results were posted on the result sheets that were earlier snatched and collated into the overall results in the constituency.

    The panel, which also held that there was an inexplicable over-voting added: “The line of attack by the appellants under issue 2 is that upon proper evaluation of Exhibit P viz-a-viz the total number of vote cast at the election put at 34,985 as announced by INEC. There was an inexplicable over voting.

    “Out of these 34,985 votes, 6038 from Olodiama Ward 4 and polling units 20-30 of Forupa Ward are not in contention as submitted by the appellants. Thus, 28,849 votes are suspect or disputed votes.

    “Had the trial tribunal properly evaluated exhibit P it would have come to a conclusion that there was over voting in the constituency. Clearly there is an electoral malpractice where the number of votes cast is in excess of the total number of voters accredited to vote.

    “The trial tribunal failed, neglected and refused to evaluate the critical evidential materials contained in the documents tendered and admitted in evidence by the appellants.”

    Resolving issues One, Two and Three raised in the appeal in favour of the APC candidate, the tribunal declared the election that returned the Bayelsa Speaker null and void.

    Justice Eko said: “I allow the appeal in substantial part. My findings on issues One, Two and Three justify the declaration that the election/return of the first respondent, Benson Friday Kombowei, as the purported winner of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly seat for Southern Ijaw Constituency 4 elections on April 11, 2015, was null and void.

    “It is hereby ordered that a fresh election shall be conducted in all the wards in the constituency within 90 days from today, except in Olodiama Ward 4 and the polling units 20-30 in Foropa Ward 4.

    “The results from the Olodiama Ward 4 and polling units 29-30 in Foropa Ward 4 shall, upon the fresh elections in other wards, as ordered, thereafter, be duly collated and final declaration and return made.”

     

  • Akwa Ibom assembly elects new speaker

    The Akwa Ibom House of Assembly on Monday elected Mr Onofiok Luke as its new Speaker.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Luke, who represents Nsit Ubium constituency emerged as Speaker following the nullification of the election of the former Speaker, Aniekan Uko.

    The Appeal Court Tribunal sitting in Abuja had last week nullified the election of the former speaker.

    Luke was nominated by Nse Essien, member representing Onna and seconded by Mark Esset, member representing Nsit Atai.

    The Clerk of the House, Mrs Mandu Umoren, administered the oath of office on the new speaker.

    In his acceptance speech, Luke promised to work with the executive to bring development to the state and ensure that the dividends of democracy reached the grassroots.

    The new speaker said he would operate an open door policy and continue from where the former speaker stopped as the House adjourned sittings to Tuesday, Dec. 22

  • Adamawa assembly speaker dismisses plan to impeach governor

    Adamawa assembly speaker dismisses plan to impeach governor

    Alhaji Kabiru Mijinyawa, the Speaker, Adamawa House of Assembly, has dismissed alleged plans to impeach Gov. Muhammadu Jibrilla.

    Mijinyawa, during a special sitting of the house on Monday in Yola, described the alleged plan as “malicious”.

    “The attention of the house is drawn over false publication that members of the house are gathering signatures to impeach the sitting governor.

    “The publication was purely a mischief from the enemies of the state who always wish us bad luck,” Mijinyawa said.

    Similarly, the Chief Whip of the house, Mr. Hassan Burguma, condemned the allegation.

    Burguma, at a news conference in Yola on Monday, also said that the house had never signed any document to impeach the governor.

    “As far as the house is concerned, there was nothing like impeachment discussion in the house.”

    He assured that the house was ready to work with the press as partners.

     

  • Speaker to Lagosians: be law-abiding

    Speaker to Lagosians: be law-abiding

    Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa has urged Lagosians to be patient with Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on various issues affecting the state.

    Obasa said the state government has already set out to address those issues.

    Represented by Hon AbdulHakeem Shokunle of Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I at the inauguration of Nasrul-li-Fatih society of Nigeria (NASFAT), Ajasa Command Branch, Ayobo, Lagos, Obasa said the assembly will not waiver in backing Governor Ambode with necessary legislation to move the state forward.

    Lagosians on their own part, he said, should be law abiding and eschew criminal activities.

    Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs Dr AbdulHakeem AbdulLateef said Ambode’s administration is ready to tackle criminal actions through provision of infrastructure and job creation.

    AbdulLateef, the guest speaker, said security is not all about policing, rather creating a conducive atmosphere for masses to earn a decent livelihood. Once majority of the population are gainfully employed, crimes will reduce drastically. He warned fellow office holders against short-changing the masses, reminding them of Day of Accountability.

    According to him, the gladiators for the Kogi government house have forgotten so soon that the man elected on November 21 to occupy the state’s number one seat is no more.

    “We are all going to join Abubakar Audu one day. If Audu knew the date of his death, perhaps he would not went through the stress of electioneering campaigns. Politicians must know that it is Allah only that gives position to who He wishes. They should fear Allah and be fair with the masses,” he said.

    The branch’s chairman Alhaji Nurudeen Ajala appealed to government to provide good roads and health system for the community.