Posted by By Celestine Okafor (Assistant Editor ) and Samuel Oyadongha, Yenagoa on
The news of the granting of bailand freedom to detained Bayelsa state Governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha by the Southwark Crown Court in London could do anything to ease the frowns on the faces of many Bayelsans as they ponder over the event of the last one-month.
•Uncertainty still mount in Bayelsa
•Deputy governor grapples with governance
•Intrigues paralyse governor's boys
The news of the granting of bailand freedom to detained Bayelsa state Governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha by the Southwark Crown Court in London could do anything to ease the frowns on the faces of many Bayelsans as they ponder over the event of the last one-month.
The drama unfolding thousand of miles away from the shores of Nigeria, is every bit as interesting as a daytime soap opera. September 15, 2005 however is a day the people of Bayelsa State will not forget in a hurry. It was a day fate played a cruel joke on their psyche as the Metropolitan Police arrested their governor, Chief Alamieyeseigha who after undergoing a major surgical operation in Germany to remove excess fat from his body, headed straight to London to rest even against the advice from friends in the security circles to stay off the Britain where he is a said to be on the wanted list. As in the case of his colleague, Plateau State governor, Joshua Dariye, arrested and detained by this same London police outfit for the same allegation of money laundering, Alamieyeseigha seemingly did not take notice of the trap which turned out to be a costly security oversight for the 53 years old former Airforce officer.
His arrest and subsequent arraignment in court leading to his remand in prison custody marks a watershed for the state, which could at best, be described as the poorest piece of landscape in the country not in terms of natural resources but in terms of human and infrastructural development.
Although the tension which engulfed Ijawland after the news of Alamieyeseigha arrest filtered in on account of the combative posture of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) to vent their anger on British national and investments in the Niger Delta has since ebbed, things cannot be said to be same again for Bayelsans whose pride have been bruised and whose civil servants for the first time in many years had to wait until the last day of the month to get their paltry salary following alleged seizure of the state statutory allocation by the Federal Government said to have lost confidence in its leaders.
For the Ijaws, the initial anger that swept through the length and breath of Ijaw territory like a raging storm is hardly anybody's worry now, rather as each day passes, the sad reality stares the people in the face that the governor's absence is like taking along with him the soul of the young state.
The Government House in Yenagoa, which before the governor's travails used to be a beehive of activities not only for contractors handling government projects, but also a sort of Mecca for politicians is now a shadow of it old self since the task of piloting the affairs of the troubled young state fell on the shoulders of the deputy governor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
True to his name like the Biblical Jonathan who stood solidly behind his friend David even at the risk of his life, the Bayelsa State deputy governor has risen in fervent defence of his embattled boss at a time when some of his close associates have abandoned him on account of what sources described as the fear of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Even when the Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government, Dr. Steve Azaiki, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Prince Boyelayefa Debekeme, leader of the house, Steve Erebo who incidentally is an in-law to the governor and other principal officers of the house visited Alamieyeseigha in London, the deputy governor had no choice at that point in time but to lead Bayelsans in fasting and prayers as the state was heading towards the dangerous precipice of anarchy with the nation's military being put on red alert.
Rather than compliment the effort of the deputy governor who was left alone with members of the state executive council to grapple with the task of managing the affairs of the state and prevent it running aground in the face of the heightened tension in the land, members of the State House of Assembly hurriedly convened five days after the arrest of Alamieyeseigha and embarked on indefinite recess to foreclose any impeachment move against him.
Piqued by what it described as the failure of the South-South Peoples Assembly SSPA to make a statement or show solidarity with Governor Alamieyeseigha following his incarceration in a London prison, the Conference Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP Bayelsa State chapter, in a rare display of solidarity, expressed dismay over the SSPA's silence.
The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties in Bayelsa State in a statement made available to newsmen in Yenagoa recently by its Chairman, Mr. Ebikibina Miriki noted with sadness that the Assembly has refused to identify either by way of showing solidarity not only to "one of "their own" who even pledged to build a befitting secretariat for the SSPA, but a leading voice of the zone for the enthronement of equity and justice within the Nigerian federation.
"Following the travails of the Bayelsa State governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha in United Kingdom, the CNPP in Bayelsa having followed closely the unfolding events observed with dismay that the South-South Peoples Assembly, an umbrella formed to actualize the yearnings and aspirations of the Niger Delta people was yet to either comment, make any statement or show solidarity for "one of their own," the group lamented.
Only yesterday (Wednesday), over two thousand Ijaw women under the auspices of Concerned Mothers of Bayelsa State went on peaceful demonstration in solidarity for Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha who was freed on Thursday having satisfied the bail conditions imposed by a London court.
The women who stormed the Creek Haven, the seat of power in Bayelsa State armed with placards some of which reads: "Chief Alamieyeseigha is a good leader," British government, release our governor," Alamco is a good man, set him free" and Alams is like a father to us" among others were, however, received by the State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Chief (Mrs) Remi Kuku following the absence of the deputy governor who was in Abuja on urgent state matter.
Recounting some of the achievements of the governor, the women said, "you have risked your life to save British citizens that were kidnapped in remote areas of the Niger Delta and as governor, you have sent our children for undergraduate and post graduate studies abroad with full scholarship."
The sad turn of event in the state is not only having its toll on the political class alone but virtually all spheres of life in the predominantly riverine state.
The unfolding drama however assumed a new twist on Tuesday when the Speaker of the House of Assembly was apprehended again by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Debekeme, who arrived Yenagoa Monday night after a three weeks stay overseas, was said to have been trailed by the EFCC operatives, who had earlier arrested the state Accountant General, Elder Stephen Enamamu, Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Solomon Apreala and Government House Accountant, Mr. Olaitari Ikemike.
Although no reason was offered for his arrest, it was however learnt that it might not be unconnected with the N100million constituency project fund given to each of the 24 members of the house.
Barely three days after the Speaker regained his freedom, the EFCC whose fear has caused so many public officers to stop displaying their exotic wealth especially flashy cars which before now was rampant went underground.
The summoning of the lawmakers to the Lagos office of the commission last week, Saturday Vanguard reliably gathered was to break the rank of membersregarded as governor's boys especially in the attempt to get Gov Alamieyeseigha impeached.
Already, there is a manhunt for Chief Abel Ebifemowei, a cousin to the governor and Special Adviser, Government House Transport, Logistics and Youth fingered as one of the governor's hatchet men by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission currently investigating the financial records of the state, which according sources has not published its audited account since 1999.
The Amassoma born politician is often referred to as the defacto "deputy governor" of Bayelsa State because of the unparallel influence he wields in the Alamieyeseigha cabinet. His word is law and the fear of this young man is the beginning of wisdom for any would-be politician in the state before the sad turn of event eroded his power base. Saturday Vanguard learnt that Ebifemowei has been completely paralysed as others close to the governor by the turn of events.
Impeccable source also told Saturday Vanguard that the state lawmakers who are still in the net of EFCC were said to have been overwhelmed when documented evidence of their stupendous assets especially landed properties acquired in the last two and half years were used in confronting them thereby breaking their resolve.
The EFCC probing of the house, Saturday Vanguard also gathered, was to get the lawmakers to commence the removal of the embattled governor. But some of the loyalists of the governor in the House are also said to be mobilizing all resources at their disposal to thwart the plot, insisting that he still remained innocent until proven otherwise.
With the unity of the House seemingly shattered, the lawmakers are poised to remove the Speaker following his refusal to act the script. Debekeme after his release had said the House would not take any decision until the outcome of the ongoing legal proceeding in London, insisting that the arrest and detention of Alamieyeseigha was an affront on the state and the entire Ijaw nation.
This position, it was learnt, did not go down well with some of the lawmakers who are now lobbying others to secure the mandatory two-thirds of member of the House to impeach the Speaker.
In spite of the uncertainty and hardship the governor's travails is causing the state, his deputy, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has continued to reiterate his unflinching loyalty to his boss saying he is not scheming to dump him as being speculated in some quarters.
To some political observers, Dr. Jonathan may just be playing to the gallery when he said he was not under any pressure to dump his boss or take over government in the state as only the State House of Assembly can remove him under very stringent condition.
The general thinking among observers of events in the state is that having worked assiduously for Alamieyeseigha, it would be foolhardy for the deputy governor to want to capitalize on his boss travails to consolidate power knowing that things could still swing in the governor's favour.
The Ogbia born deputy governor who though is interested in succeeding his boss in 2007 but has not made public his intention despite making underground consultations may be relying on the adage that one good turn deserves another even though politics has proved to be different from such simple arithemetic where definite answers could be predicted.
Interestingly, the task of maintaining law and order in the state has been a collective responsibility of all with the Bayelsa State Elders Consultative Council complimenting the effort of the deputy governor saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that the machinery of government is not crippled.
The Elders' Council which met last weekend in Yenagoa resolved to set up three special committees to work out modalities to liaise with other Ijaw organized groups within the country and in the diaspora to coordinate and facilitate effort to get governor Alamieyeseigha off the hook.
Speaking on the reprieve recently granted the governor by the London court, the National Vice Chairman, South-South of the All Nigerian Political Parties (ANPP), Chief Douye Naingba, an avowed critic of the Alamieyeseigha administration, expressed confidence in the ability of the British legal system to ensure fair hearing in the matter.
"We thank God that he has been granted temporary freedom, but we also want to appeal that if he is granted bail, they should also grant him permanent freedom so as to enable him go about his normal businessas a free man rather than restricting his movement considering his status as a respected man.
Alamieyeseigha in the last two years has done enough for the state to be undergoing this type of humiliation in a foreign land especially as he has is still a suspect and has not been pronounced guilty of the alleged offence of money laundering," he note. He defended the state lawmakers for embarking on recess saying "this is not the first time the house will be going on long recess and such should not be persecuted and allowed to do things in their own way."
Bayelsans in the last one-month have also turned to God for divine intervention to weather the storm of the crisis with all the churches in town making it a point of duty to commit the travails of the governor into the hands of the Almighty God.
Meanwhile, governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha secured his freedom finally on Thursday following his release from prison where he had spend a few weeks in detention. He was freed at about 4 p.m. after fullfilling the £500,000 pounds paid bond for the Bow Magistrate Court in London. He has since returned to his 47 Water Garden house located at Marbel Ash in London. But back in Bayelsa, tension and uncertainty still pervades in spite of the cheering news of his release. Prominent Ijaw indigenes have expressed joy over Alamieyeseigha's release but wished he was allowed to return to Nigeria to attend the urgent state matters which appears to have been paralysed since his arrest. The governor who government sources said is hale and hearty for now, will remain in London till November.