Bayelsa Speaker calls for creation of more councils

Bayelsa State House of Assembly Speaker Tonye Emmanuel Isenah has called for the creation of additional local governments in the Southsouth state.

He said the eight local governments are grossly inadequate to enhance grassroots development.

The Speaker said the existing councils should be split because they are big.

He spoke in Lagos, shortly before attending the Conference for 36 Houses of Speakers organised by the Nigerian Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies.

Isenah said:”We want more local governments in Bayelsa. Our local governments are too vast. Southern Ijaw, for example, is big. Considering the vastness, eight local governments are not enough. We need more.”

The Speaker spoke on the challenge of succession in Bayelsa, noting that this is the first time a governor will be handing over after two terms of eight years.

He said:”This is the first time we are experiencing transition. The government is completing eight years. We are calm. The governor has stabilised the party in the state.

“We weathered the storm in 2015 after the PDP lost federal power. PDP is the party to beat.”

The Speaker dispelled insinuations of rifts between Governor Seriake Dickson and former President Goodluck Jonathan due to the conflict of opinion about succession.

Echoing the governor’s position, he said the Restotation Camp, led by Dickson, will sponsor a consensus candidate to avoid in-fighting.

He stressed:”This is good for continuity of programmes and developmental policies. There has been no steady  transition in Bayelsa, unlike in Lagos during the times of Tinubu and Fashola, and in Cross River during Duke and Imoke.

“Those of us in the Restoration Camp understand the programme.”

Isenah said as the Chairman of the Contact and Mobilisation Committee of the camp, he will work with other stakeholders to ensure unity and cohesion during the primary.

He said the shadow poll will be managed to avoid post-primary crisis.

The Speaker added: “The governor will come from the Restoration Team. We know the state and the programmes. PDP will win the election. Bayelsa is PDP and PDP is Bayelsa. We have 19 PDP members in the House of Assembly. We are on ground.”