Posted by By Chidi Obineche & Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa. on
The Bayelsa State Government has welcomed the setting up of the seven-man panel by the Chief Judge to investigate the allegations of gross misconduct against embattled Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, urging the panel to be fair.
The Bayelsa State Government has welcomed the setting up of the seven-man panel by the Chief Judge to investigate the allegations of gross misconduct against embattled Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, urging the panel to be fair.
The constitution of the panel came in the wake of a crack in the camp of the embattled governor, with three lawmakers abandoning him.
The Bayelsa State Government in a statement signed by the Acting Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Preye Warowei few hours after the inauguration, noted that the 'government is yet to scrutinize and ascertain the affiliations, alliances and interests of those so appointed, in the recent past"
The statement expressed hope that the panel would discharge its assignment with the broader interests of the state in focus.
It reads, 'Our only hope is that as sons and daughters of Bayelsa State who may be presumed to have the ultimate good of the land and people of Bayelsa State at heart, they will conduct the assignment with the greater interest of Bayelsa in mind.
'The least that is expected of them in discharging this onerous assignment therefore is for them to align their investigations and ultimately their recommendations to the ideals of fairness, equity and justice"
It reminded the panel that 'in spite of the hue and cry over the Alamieyeseigha saga in the media, and the orchestrated disenchantment of the public over the case, Governor Alamieyeseigha has not been to court or charged in Nigeria for any offence, let alone convicted," adding that 'no court of competent jurisdiction is yet to make a pronouncement upon the elaborate allegations that have been fed to the Nigerian media by the EFCC and the Federal Government"
The Bayelsa Government drew attention to the methods adopted by the Federal Government to remove the Governor from office, stressing that it contravenes the letter and spirit of the 1999 constitution.
The statement read further, 'The massive deployment of battle-ready military troops and armoured tanks to Yenagoa is an affront on our democratic space. Given the overbearing influence of the military and the EFCC in this affair, we have every cause to worry that their continued presence may prejudice the free will of panelists. We therefore call upon the Federal Government to withdraw the troops from the streets of Bayelsa and possibly replace them with regular civilian police, while all pending matters are put through the crucible of due process and constitutional procedure.
'Ultimately, Bayelsans must refuse to surrender Bayelsa and its natural and democratic endowment to the dictates of external predators. The closure of the Bayelsa Broadcasting Corporation, BBC by the Federal Government is a clear and undisguised attempt to appropriate the corporate will of our people, and compel us to conform to an undemocratic ethos"
It added that the seizure of the Federal allocation to the state is a amounts to the trampling upon the rights of civil servants, demanding that the allocation be released forthwith to enable the economy of the state enjoys the respite it deserves.
The majority leader of the state House of Assembly, and an in-law to the Alamieyeseighas, Hon Steve Ereboh has affirmed that he was not part of the suit filed to challenge the setting up of the 7-man panel by the Chief Judge to investigate the allegations of gross misconduct against the governor.
Seven legislators were reported to have institute a court action to challenge the setting up of the panel because the impeachment notice was illegal and unconstitutional as it was not endorsed by 2/3 majority of members present.
Hon Ereboh in a terse statement personally signed by him dated December 6, a copy made available to Daily Sun reiterated that the inclusion of his name was a calculated attempt to malign his image.
The statement read, 'It has been brought to my notice of a suit NO YHC/168/2005 filed by Debekeme and others including my self as having gone to court to challenge inter alia: the panel looking into the impeachment of the Governor and suspension of certain Honourable members.
'May I categorically state here that the suit is a fraud as it does not have my endorsement. I never authorized the use of my name or office to institute the action. It is calculated to disparage my image.