Bayelsa House of Assembly Speaker may be sworn in as Governor

The Speaker of Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Monday Obolo may be sworn in as the Acting Governor of Bayelsa to fill the vacuum that will be created by the exit of the outgoing Governor, Seriake Dickson.

Except something urgent happens before midnight Friday, February 14, 2020, the Speaker of Bayelsa State House of Assembly may have to step in as the acting Governor of Bayelsa state as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is still meeting in Abuja to make a final decision on the Bayelsa Governorship Supreme Court judgement which sacked the Bayelsa Governor-elect David Lyon and his Deputy, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremieoyo, Businessday reports.

The Supreme Court on Thursday February 13, 2020, ordered that the certificate of return issued to David Lyon be withdrawn while the candidate who came second in November Bayelsa governorship elections candidate should be declared the winner as governor of the state.

The governorship candidate for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Diri Duoye, came second in the election with 143,172 votes to Lyon’s 352,552 and was to br inaugurated today as the validly elected Governor of Bayelsa based on the Court’s order but INEC has not decided whether it would issue a certificate of return to Duoye, as the Commission said it was yet to receive the enrolled order of the Supreme Court.

BusinessDay reports that a meeting was held by INEC yesterday night but after the Commission met, it was unable to make a decision as the enrolled court order has not been issued it late Thursday night.

Constitutional Lawyer, Johnson Agakutu stated that while the INEC decision is being awaited, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly would have to be inaugurated as Acting Governor.

“Pending the outcome of INEC meeting, the Bayelsa State Chief Judge would before the end of today have the cause to swear-in the Speaker of the House of Assembly as Acting Governor. So there is nothing to worry about vacuum”, he said.

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