BAYELSA: Tension As Assembly Speaker Blasts Jonathan

The political season is here and politicians, from top to bottom are trying to outshine each other. There were signs of tension and strained relationship between members of Bayelsa State House of Assembly and the speaker, Hon. Kombowei Benson over alleged move to impeach him from office following recent statements attributed to him against President Goodluck Jonathan.

While the impeachment move, according to State House of Assembly source, has received the blessing of the state governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson as a "collateral" sacrifice to affirm his loyalty to Jonathan, the loyalists of the speaker, including the chairman, House Committee on Information, Iniobiyo Obiene, and the media assistant to the speaker, Preye Kiyaramo, have dismissed the impeachment plot.
But the angry lawmakers were said to have held series of secret meetings in Yenagoa where they discussed and condemned the speaker's tirade against President Jonathan in an interview he granted a newspaper.

It was learnt that they were agitated that the speaker made statements suggesting that President Jonathan was plotting to impose candidates on members of PDP in the state's party primaries. They were said to have disassociated themselves from the offensive comments saying, "the speaker is on his own".

It was gathered that the aggrieved lawmakers further frowned on the speaker's verbal tirade against the senator representing Bayelsa Central senatorial district, Senator Emmanuel Paulker.

LEADERSHIP gathered that though the Bayelsa speaker had last week recanted his comment against the alleged interference of the president in the battle for the seat of the central senatorial district of the state, the lawmakers were said to have expressed their displeasure to the Speaker for making what they described as "degrading and inciting" comments against the president.

And they are seriously working for his impeachment, with support from Abuja.