The Sacking of Bayelsa Deputy Governor : The Removal of An Impeachment Expert

….And the implications for the state

This is the story of the impeachment of the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa  State, Mr. Peremobowei Ebebi, who had been involved in the politics of impeachment three times before last Thursday  when he was himself impeached.

He may have reaped a whirlwind.
For a man who had benefitted from three impeachment proceedings, it is ironic.
Mr. Peremobowei Ebebi, the deputy governor of Bayelsa State until Thursday June 24, when he was sacked by the assembly had on three occasions been a beneficiary of impeachments in the predominantly riverine state.

When the then executive arm of government orchestrated an impeachment process against the pioneer Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Heineken Lokpobiri which led to his removal in controversial circumstances many did not reckon that the move will turn out to become a recurring decimal in the oil rich state.

This was also the period the use of explosives to settle political scores was introduced into the politics of the state by the political gladiators as exemplified by the bombing of a section of the state House of Assembly.
Ebebi’s open confrontation with Governor Timipre Sylva is his nemesis.

Peremobowei Ebebi

It was the same Sylva he had played a major role in his emergence as PDP candidate in the wake of the controversy surrounding the choice of Chief Francis Doukpolagha following the elevation of the then governor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as the party’s vice presidential candidate.

The cold war between the duo became a public issue sometime November last year when the former deputy governor protested against the outcome of the primaries for the local government elections in Ekeremor local government area.

This quickly set in motion a chain of event including allegations and counter allegations, explosions in the capital city causing residents to live in fear and his eventual removal from office.

His travails notwithstanding, not many believed the Aleibiri prince will go this far in the politics of the state to become a deputy governor when he left his legal practice to contest election into the state House of Assembly to represent Ekeremor II in 1999.

He contested the Speakership with Heineken Lokopbiri but lost to the latter who had the backing of the then governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.

However, when in 2001, Alamieyeseigha and his adopted political son went their separate ways, he turned to Ebebi for help and in a matter of days the charismatic Lokpobiri was removed in a controversial manner and replaced with Ebebi as Speaker, a position he occupied until 2003.

He re-contested in 2003 into the assembly and had expected to retain his position but this was not to be as Alamieyeseigha’s cousin and confidant, Abel Ebifemowei had in mind another candidate, in the person of Boyelayefa Debekeme.

It was gathered that Ebebi was not aware of the game plan until the day of the inauguration of the assembly when Debekeme emerged as the new Speaker thereby denying the former the exalted position and plum of the office. However, Ebebi bidded his time until 2005 when Alamieyeseigha was arrested in London over alleged money laundering and former President Olusegun Obasanjo activated impeachment process against the governor.

In order to oust the governor, the then Speaker Debekeme and his deputy Foingha Jephtah, were impeached, and Ebebi was made Speaker, a second time.

At the prompting of the presidency, Ebebi led the House to remove Alamieyeseigha from office and this paved the way for Jonathan to be governor.

Ebebi was picked as deputy to Jonathan until 2007 when the pair emerged the gubernatorial standard bearers of Bayelsa.

Jonathan later went on to become the PDP Presidential running mate to late Umaru Yar’Adua.

Though Jonathan nominated Chief Francis Doukolagha and Dr. Boladei Igali to replace him as governorship candidate and running mate respectively, Ebebi moved against the nomination and fought doggedly to get the ticket ceded to Sylva with whom he teamed up.

Allowing the duo of Doukpolagha and Igali would have put paid to his ambition since he is from the same West senatorial district as the former.

This partly explains why Ebebi, who actually guided the process of impeachment against Alamieyeseigha, does not have the sympathy of the Bayelsa political class.

So, his sack Thursday by the assembly, exactly 23 days after it initiated impeachment proceedings against him did not come as surprise to many.

Ebebi was impeached for allegedly being guilty of nine of the 10 offences listed against him.

The impeachment of the deputy governor was sequel to the adoption of a report of the seven-member investigative panel headed by Mr. D.C. Dewingwe. The panel, which was set up by the state Chief Judge, Justice Kate Abiri, concluded its sitting, Wednesday, and submitted its report to the assembly for consideration.

Ebebi’s offences
Some of the allegations listed against the deputy governor, as contained in the impeachment notice are:
*That Mr. Peremobowei Ebebi, the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State wilfully deserted his official duties by refusing to attend, without reasonable cause, the weekly Executive Council meetings of Bayelsa State since January 2010.
*That Ebebi wilfully failed and, or refused to attend state functions without lawful excuses since February 2010.

*That Ebebi has abandoned his office and official residence since February 2010 without official leave and has deliberately neglected and refused to perform the functions for which he was elected.

*That Ebebi, in February 2009, applied for and received N29,660, 909 (twenty-nine million, six hundred and sixty thousand, nine hundred and nine naira) for medical treatment in Germany but he fraudulently converted the said sum as he neither travelled to Germany or refunded the said money to the state Treasury.

*That His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ebebi without regard to the dignity of his exalted office, openly fought with the then caretaker committee chairman of Ekeremor Local Government Council, Chief Ben Robert Eyorokumoh and shot him with a gun thereby causing him grievous bodily harm.

Hon. Obuebite said the deputy governor was found guilty of some of the allegations while others were proved except one – that His Excellency, Rt. Hon Ebebi, in violation of oath of office, sponsored acts of terrorism with a view to making Bayelsa State ungovernable by recruiting gunmen who acquired and store large quantities of explosives, together with arms and ammunition, in Latik Hotel, owned by him located on INEC Road.

To this end, in compliance with Section 188(1_9), Mr. Obuebite moved the motion for his impeachment, which was supported by Mr. Fini Angaye and unanimously adopted by over 2/3 majority members of the House in attendance.