The Bayelsa State House of Assembly has elected a new Speaker, Abraham Ngobere, who represents Brass Constituency 3.
Ngobere was nominated a speaker following a motion moved by Mr. Bennard Kenebi a member representing Sagbama ll, and seconded by Wisdom Fafi, a member representing Kolokuma/Opokuma ll.
He took over from Monday Bobou-Obolo, who represents Southern Ijaw Constituency 2.
Obolo said he stepped aside as the Speaker to pave the way for a lawmaker from Bayelsa East senatorial district in the spirits power balancing following the emergence of Senator Douye Diri as the state Governor.
Obolo hails from the same Central Senatorial District with Diri while the Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewrujakpor hails from Sagbama in Bayelsa West.
Obolo was elected a Speaker of the state Assembly on September, 2019 following the controversy that sacked the then Speaker, Mr Tonye Isenah.
The Bayelsa central senatorial district consists of Yenagoa, Southern Ijaw and Kolokuma/Opokuma local government areas; Bayelsa East senatorial district comprises Nembe, Ogbia and Brass local governments and Bayelsa West is made up of of Sagbama and Ekeremor local governments.
Diri is from Kolokuma/Opokuma in Central Senatorial district; Ewrujakpor from from Sagbama in the West while Ngobere is from Brass in the East.
Obolo said his senatorial district was blessed with a governor and he had to allow another senatorial district to produce a speaker to balance the power sharing formula.
He said: “In Bayelsa state, we have three senatorial districts, the central, the east and the west, it has been the practice that a governor, the deputy governor and the Speaker come from each of the three senatorial district, in this case, I am so blessed that my senatorial district is so blessed, the current governor of Bayelsa state is from my senatorial district, so it therefore mean that the seat of the Speaker will have to shift to another senatorial district.
“That is the reason i voluntrarily stepped aside as the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly for the new speaker to emerge in order to fulfill the age long power rotation formula in Bayelsa state.
“I implore my colleagues to extend the same corporation to whoever that will emerge the new speaker for the good governance in Bayelsa state.”
Speaking shortly after assumption of office, Ngobere, promised to carry all the 24 members along in the scheme of things to enable them work together as a team for greater Bayelsa.
The Nation
