Disquiet in Delta Assembly as sacked speaker returns

There was disquiet in the Delta State House of Assembly on Tuesday as its sacked Speaker, Mr. Martins Okonta, returned to the House, barely two weeks after he vacated the seat for the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Basil Ganagana.

Okonta vacated the seat on May 18, following the nullification of his election by the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, on May 12.

Okonta, while handing over the leadership of the House to Ganagana, had said that the action was to enable him to pursue the appeal against the judgment of the appellate court at the Supreme Court.

Sources told our correspondent that Okonta had hinted Ganagana at the end of the events to mark the Democracy Day and third year anniversary of the administration of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan last Saturday, that he was planning to resume on June 15 when the House would reconvene after a two-week break.

A mild drama occurred at the ceremonies when Okonta was introduced as Speaker and was invited to sit at the high table with the governor. Similarly, Ganagana, who was present at the events was also introduced as acting speaker.

Surprisingly, however, Okonta, in company with a retinue of aides resumed at the House on Tuesday. He went to Ganagana’s office and demanded to be restored as speaker.

Reliable sources in the House told our correspondent that Ganagana, who was apparently aware of the mission, immediately handed over to him.

The appeal court, in a unanimous judgement read by presiding Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, nullified Okonta’s election and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to issue a certificate of return to the petitioner in the protracted pre-2007 election suit, Mr. Kingsley Nonye-Phillips, as the validly elected representative of Ika South Constituency in the state legislature.

Nonye-Phillips in the suit had averred that Okonta was not validly elected in the April 2007 ousted election, as his name was wrongfully substituted for that of the embattled speaker by the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Nonye-Phillips is yet to be inaugurated by the leadership of the House despite that he has presented his INEC’s certificate of return to the Clerk of the House, Mr. Raymond Yavbieri.

This development has sparked-off protests by the people of his constituency.
Source: Punch Newspaper – www.punchng.com