IMPEACHMENT NOTICE: MIXED REACTIONS TRAIL HOUSE DECISION

By NBF News

Mixed reactions have continued to trail the decision of Bayelsa State House of Assembly to serve a notice of impeachment on the Deputy Governor, Hon. Peremobowei Ebebi, with Ijaw leaders wading into the crisis.

This is even as Daily Sun investigations revealed that Ebebi's planned impeachment was on the grounds of gross misconduct.

Sources in Abuja told Daily Sun that Ebebi had met Ijaw elder, Chief Edwin Clark over his predicament explaining that he was being witchhunted by Governor Timipre Sylva.

Clark is believed to have concluded arrangements to table the matter before President Goodluck Jonathan and prevail on him to intervene and settle the rift between the two leaders.

Ebebi, a lawyer, was in Abuja when the House decided to serve him the impeachment notice to garner support to challenge the leadership of the House of Assembly.

Already some Bayelsans are also enlisting their support to ensure that he is not removed from office and they are considering the legal option to forestall the attempt.

Though the House while directing the Clerk of the House, Elder P. K. George to serve the impeachment notice on Ebebi did not mention the impeachable offences he had committed, Daily Sun checks indicated that about 16 impeachable offences had been preferred against him.

According to impeccable sources in the House, Ebebi had abandoned his office and his official duties by not attending state executive meetings and functions and could no longer function in the capacity of deputy governor.

The source also said Ebebi had shown through his utterances and actions that he had scant regard for the office of the Governor of Bayelsa State and the Bayelsa State House of Assembly which makes him unworthy to serve in the capacity of deputy governor.

The source, who said the House remained resolute, maintained that the lawmakers would not abdicate their responsibilities and allow an elected officer in the status of the deputy governor to drag his office, that of the governor and the image of the entire state in the mud.

However, political associates of Ebebi, who spoke to Daily Sun in an interview said the situation was under control and appealed to their supporters to remain calm as the House would not be able to go on with the impeachment.

Confirming that Ebebi was yet to get the impeachment notice, the associates said they were also mobilizing to storm the state before weekend to confront the leadership of the House of Assembly over their connivance with Governor Sylva to trigger crisis in the state.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Yenagoa branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Stan Damabide, had appealed that the House of Assembly must follow due process.

He Noted that there is very little the association could do if there was a cogent reason for impeachment, he, however, sued for caution on the part of the lawmakers, stressing that the NBA would want the process to follow laid down constitutional provisions. Damaibide lamented the situation and insisted that issue of impeachment at this point in time does not speak well of the image of the state.