Three Bayelsa State House of Assembly Members-Elect have petitioned the offices of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and the Inspector-General of Police over the refusal of the Speaker, Hon. Kombowei Benson to administer on them the oath of office as duly elected members of the Assembly.
They have also threatened to shut down the State House of Assembly if the PDP-controlled Assembly continue to deny them the rights and privileges of representing their constituents on the floor of the House.
The three concerned members-elect are: Watson Afred Belemote of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), representing Brass Constituency 2, Gibson Edwin Munalayefa of the Labour Party representing Ogbia constituency 2 and Gabriel Michael Ogbara of African Democratic Congress (ADC) representing Ogbia constituency 3.
They were two months ago declared winners by the Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt and issued Certificates of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The three aggrieved State Assembly members-elect, in the protest letter addressed to Senate President Olusola Saraki, the Speaker of the Federal House of Representative, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami and the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, warned that though they have resolved to explore various legal and peaceful means to compel the Bayelsa Speaker to administer oath of office on them, the continued failure may result in security breach and breakdown of law and order.
In the letter written by their solicitor, Jude Rex-Ogbuku, states upon the receipt of the certificate of return and formal presentation of the letter to the Clerk of the State House of Assembly, “It has taken two months since the court order and the forwarding of the various certificate of return on the State Assembly with no reply.”
“That while we were kept in the dark, the two Assembly members of the PDP, who won re-run election on 5th of March,2016 were sworn in on the 14th of March. Our client position is that there is no reasonable excuse, legally and morally, for the PDP dominated House of Assembly not to have sworn-in the two PDP members with the other three Assembly members-elect.”
“That, worse still is that on Monday of same day the three State Assembly members-elect were in the State Assembly complex and met with the Clerk of the House, Aaron Timiye and he assured them that since the PDP members were returned, they were likely to be sworn-in along with them. While we met with the House Clerk,the PDP members of the House were with the State Governor. When they came back, the three duly elected State Assembly members were, like a movie, walked out of the complex under the Command of an Assistant Commissioner of Police(Ops).
“Our client have therefore taken the position that the only way to open to them is to fight for their rights in any means open to them since the Governor Seriake Dickson led Government of the day has refused to respect the will of the people and the affirmation of the law.”
