By Samuel Oyadongha, Yenagoa
The embattled Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Werinipre Seibarugu reacted yesterday to the Court of Appeal ruling reinstating the impeached deputy governor Peremobowei Ebebi, and said he (Seibarugu) remains the state deputy governor.

Seibarugu, who spoke to newsmen at his Agudama-Ekpetiama country home on the outskirts of Yenagoa where he had gone to monitor the display of the voters register by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said there was no other deputy governor in the state than himself.

The deputy governor said he had applied for stay of execution of the verdict saying, “we are not violating the process. The Court of Appeal is a respected court. There is no other deputy governor in Bayelsa State, I remain the deputy governor.”

Seibarugu who conspicuously absent at the Thursday State Executive Council meeting ostensibly in deference to the court ruling said, “being a law abiding person I accepted it (ruling) in good faith and it is also our right to appeal which we have done.”

The former Speaker of the state House of Assembly who was named deputy governor in the aftermath of the ouster of the former deputy governor by the House said that he has been doing his work as the state number two man.

“I am doing my work on behalf of the governor” he said, adding that he was at Agudama_Ekpetiama to monitor the voters register displayed by INEC.

It was gathered that the appeal court verdict was in three parts which bothered on the processes that led to the impeachment of Ebebi as Deputy Governor, the appointment of Werinipre Seibarugu as new Deputy Governor and the order empowering the State High Court to hear the suit filed before it by the embattled Deputy Governor, Peremobowei Ebebi.

Counsel to Ebebi, Mr. Wodu Kemesuode, said the Court of Appeal simply affirmed that the impeached deputy governor should be returned to office and the present one removed.

He said: “The Court of Appeal made pronouncement on three vital areas and declared that the process for the removal of Peremobowei Ebebi was illegal and the appointment of Werinipre Seibarugu illegal. It also asked us to go back to the High Court to be heard on our earlier suit asking that the process for his impeachment was wrong.”

But the leadership of the state House of Assembly had, through its counsel shortly after the ruling, approached the Supreme Court to set aside the ruling, which quashed the June impeachment of Peremobowei Ebebi as the state Deputy Governor.

The House also filed a separate motion for an order for stay of execution of its earlier order on the immediate reinstatement of Ebebi as Deputy Governor.