THE SPEAKER of the Bayelsa House of Assembly, Emmanuel Tonye Isenah has been impeached on Monday morning following series of gunshots in the State House.
The Assembly was invaded by hoodlums who allegedly fled with the mace while the police responded with gunshots.
In preparation for the November 16 governorship election, Isenah has been rumored to resign on Monday following pressure by some People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leaders who clamored for political balance of equation.
He was reported to have adjourned the plenary indefinitely in a bid to avoid his removal as the Speaker of the House.
Leaders asking for Isenah’s removal were reported to have instructed some lawmakers loyal to them to reconvene and then replaced Isenah with another lawmaker, Monday Obolo, who is representing Southern Ijaw Constituency 2, after the gunshot.
However, Media aide to Isenah, Ranami Afgha said the impeachment cannot stand as it was done against the provision of the house.
Afgha said the mace had been taken away by thugs and the process of impeachment was done in the absence of the mace which represented authority and that without the mace, the action is illegal and unconstitutional.
Some PDP leaders have been rumoured to have been mounting pressure on Isenah to resign his post as Speaker of the House for someone from Southern Ijaw constituency since the emergence of Douye Diri as the party’s candidate in the November 16 governorship election.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via labolade@icirnigeria.org, on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94