By Austin Ogwuda
Asaba—   THE Delta State House of Assembly, yesterday elected Mr Sam Obi, representing Ika North East constituency,  as the new Speaker.

He succeeds the former Speaker, Mr. Martin Okonta, who lost his seat to Mr. Kingsley Philip, who was formally sworn in two days ago after a protracted delay, that preceded the swearing in.

The swearing in of Mr Philip,  representing Ika South constituency, came 75 days after a Court of Appeal, Abuja, led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji unseated the Speaker of the Delta Assembly, Mr. Okonta, declaring that the election that brought Okonta in was in contravention of Section 34 of the Electoral Act, 2006.

The Appeal Court, Abuja had May 12, 2010 sacked the Speaker, Mr Okonta, on the ground that he was not the duly sponsored candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, in 2007 and agreed that Mr Philip was the duly sponsored candidate of the PDP and not Okonta in the said poll in 2007.

The motion for the election for election of a new Speaker was moved by member representing Burutu II constituency, Mr. Funkekeme Solomon, and unanimously supported.

Acting  Speaker of the House, Mr. Basil Ganagana, while calling for the nomination of a new Speaker, said, “Now, we are all aware that having carried out that action by swearing in the honourable member representing Ika South in the person of  Mr  Phillip, the 29-member House is properly constituted.”

In his acceptance speech,  Obi who promised to carry his colleagues along said,  “this singular act in my mind is repose of trust and confidence and I am indeed pleasantly excited.”