Bayelsa Speaker Kombowei Benson Impeached Amidst Controversy

A new controversy yesterday hit the political terrain of Bayelsa State with the impeachment of the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Friday Kombowei Benson, after only three months in office. The impeachment, which was carried out in a record time of 30 minutes,led to the emergence of the Former Deputy Speaker under the Timipre Sylva administration, Hon. Fini Angaye emerging as the new Speaker of the House. Hon. Kombowei Benson was impeached at about 4.00pm with 16 members of the 24-member assembly present .They claimed they had the support of other members made up of the leadership of the Assembly. The impeachment proceedings took less than 30 minutes as the members convened for the singular purpose with the deputy speaker absent and the deposed speaker having been absent from the state for some time. The member representing Ogbia Constituency II, Obedience Emoton moved the motion for the impeachment and a former speaker, Nestor Binabo nominated Angaye, his former deputy for the position which was accepted by all present. Binabo who was speaker during the tenure of former governor, Timipre Sylva resigned as he comes from the same Bayelsa West Senatorial District with the incumbent governor, Seriake Dickson. The new Speaker, Fini Angaye a former deputy speaker told newsmen immediately after his elevation that “I have now become their servant and at any point in time when I go astray, they should correct me.” It was not immediately clear if the governor influenced the impeachment which was carried out under heavy security with armed policemen guarding the entrance to the assembly . But LEADERSHIP gathered that the members, numbering 20 were at the weekend in Lagos to attend the Child dedication ceremony of one of the aides to Dame Patience Jonathan, Waripamnowei Dudafagh. But the locking out of the Media Crew attached to the State House of Assembly and the entrance of the Government House correspondent of the African Independent Television(AIT) and the Nigerian Television Authority(NTA) raised suspicion of the involvement of the Governor in the new power play. The impeachment of Kombowei did not come as a surprise to many political observers in the state as he was described as unpopular with both his colleagues and members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but allegedly forced on them by the wife of the President, Dame Patience Jonathan and other serving members of the Governor Seriake Dickson cabinet.