Tension in Bayelsa House of Assembly as Speaker is accused of victimising some members

It would be recalled that Hon. Benson was impeached by majority of members of the House some weeks ago but he was reinstated following the intervention of the President, Goodluck Jonathan and his wife Patience. Part of the agreement, according to our sources was that he will not victimise his colleagues who moved against him.

Ionigeria.com can authoritatively reveal that Hon. Benson is already reneging on that agreement and moving against those who orchestrated his failed removal by depriving them of some perks of office. 

This is already causing some tension and disquiet in the House and according to, our sources,  if not well handled may snowball into another impeachment move by the aggrieved majority of members of the House.

According to our findings, in addition to their monthly salaries, members of the House get a monthly constituency allowance of N1million. But since the impeachment debacle, the Speaker, we gathered, has refused to pay the 13 members that moved against him, the N1million. However, the 10 members who stood by him are still enjoying the perk.

ionigeria.com also gathered that following the intervention of the State Governor, Seriake Dickson, the Speaker decided to pay them N500, 000 each while his supporters are getting N1million each. But  12 out of the 13 members refused to accept the amount.

According to a member of the House who spoke on the condition of anonymity, “the action of the Speaker is contrary to the peace agreement brokered by the President. At the meeting with the President, it was agreed that there will be no victor or vanquished and that nobody should be victimised but Hon. Benson has violated that agreement, so nobody should blame us if we also move against him.

Continuing, he said, “we now have a situation whereby some members of the House are earning less than others because of their principled position against the Speaker.

Another member of the House who also spoke to ionigeria.com revealed that “majority of members of the House are indeed very dissatisfied with the leadership style of the Speaker. His reinstatement was just a mark of respect for the President.

To avoid a similar situation in the Ogun State House of Assembly during the second term of Governor Gbenga Daniel where the Assembly was perennially enmeshed in crisis, the legislator called on the President to allow democracy to reign in the House by allowing the members to choose their own leaders.

Said he, “what we have now in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly is that the Speaker does not enjoy the support of majority of members of the House. The minority cannot continue to have their way in the House. I therefore appeal to the President to let peace reign by not insisting on having Hon. Benson as Speaker.

Investigations further disclosed that Hon. Benson is actually the choice of the wife of the President who exercises tremendous influence in the affairs of the State