Asaba: Workers of the Delta State House of Assembly and people of Sapele Constituency went into ecstasy and wild jubilation in the Assembly complex following today’s wee hour impeachment of Monday Igbuya as Speaker.
The workers both male and female danced joyfully and drank in toast to the exit of Igbuya, whose tenure as Speaker they claimed was a nightmare.
“This is God’s answer to the prayer of workers of the Assembly. Under Igbuya’s speakership we suffered, as he denied us our entitlements. He was not workers friendly. Any speaker who will deny workers their entitlements will be removed.” a worker said, adding there is no working materias since when he became speaker.
We gathered that many factors coalesced in putting Igbuya away as Speaker. According to sources, the lawmakers had been displeased with the leadership style of Igbuya, with a temperament that is insensitive to other people’s opinions. They were not comfortable with his high-handed disposition to issues, in which they saw him a man with too high an opinion of himself with little understanding for others.
Also, sources hinted that the popularity and integrity of the Delta House of Assembly plunged to its lowest under the leadership of Monday Owigho Igbuya. An example is made of the recurring recourse of the workers to go on strike at will because the House leadership under Igbuya was always insensitive to the workers’ demands thereby portraying the lawmakers as people that have no welfare of the workers at heart. Even the aides to the lawmakers were equally expressing joy in the eventual removal of Igbuya as speaker.
It was further learnt that another major grouse against Igbuya’s leadership of the House is his handling of the appointment of a deputy clerk of the House. Sources claimed that Igbuya failed to follow the law made by the Assembly in consideration of the appointment of a deputy clerk. Instead, he is alleged to have allowed primordial interest to influence his choice of deputy clerk when he ignored the extant rules and went to appoint a very junior staff as preference over a generation staffs that were well ahead in seniority over the junior staff.
The appointment did not go down well with the generality of staffs who saw the appointment of a junior staff over his seniors as improper and a negation of even the law made by the Assembly.
In a letter addressed to Igbuya as speaker on 31st March, 2017 by the Chairman of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), Comrade Edozie Emmanuel and Secretary Comrade Emmanuel Osubor, published by www.ndokwareporters.com frowned at the process, choice and manner in which the offending deputy clerk was nominated, selected and confirmed as deputy clerk. “Reason being that the officer in question is not qualified to be nominated and selected, talk more of confirmation,” PASAN stated.
The issues raised in the letter we gathered were ignored by Igbuya despite the indignation expressed. The issue affected the senior staff of the House of Assembly, some of who stayed away from work because they felt they could not take orders from their junior in service.
Meanwhile, www.ndokwareporters.com, gathered that there was wide jubilation was witnessed by many people in Sapele, the constituency of the embattled speaker. Our source said many political heavy weights in the area and their supporters were seen celebrating the successful impeachment of Rt. Hon Monday Igbuya as the Speaker of the 6th Assembly.
The New Leadership Meet with Okowa
However, the new leadership and House members proceeded to meet the state Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, to inform him about the change in leadership.
The moment the news of the Speaker’s removal went into town, Igbuya, who was absent at the sitting where he was removed, reached out to prominent leaders and politicians in the state to intervene in the matter so as to pressurise the lawmakers to rescind their decision. Okowa’s meeting with the lawmakers immediately was held behind closed doors with some politicians urging the governor to save the situation.
The meeting which was attended by Igbuya, Okowa’s deputy, Deacon Kingsley Otuaro, Chief Steve Oru, a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, commissioners and the chairman of the PDP in the state, Olorogun Kingsley Esiso, however ended in a deadlock after several hours. In spite of the pleas from Okowa, the impeached Speaker and other leaders of the party in the state, the lawmakers vowed not to rescind their decision.
