Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Konbowei Benson, has been asked by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the April 2015 state House of Assembly election, Ebifeghe Orunimighe, to stop disobeying the judgment of Court of Appeal.
Orunimighe, who contested the Southern Ijaw Constituency 4 seat with the Speaker, warned Benson on Sunday to also stop parading himself as Speaker or risk going to prison.
The Court of Appeal panel sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, had on December 9, 2015 nullified the April 2015 election that returned Benson and ordered a fresh election within 90 days from the date of the judgment.
In his statement at a news conference at the APC Secretariat in Yenagoa, on Sunday, entitled, ‘Contemptuous conduct of Konbowei Benson – former Speaker’, Orunimighe noted that his lawyers had begun a contempt process against Benson.
“Our attention has been drawn to recent reports credited to Konbowei Benson where he unequivocally stated that he still remained the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly because the judgement declared by the Court of Appeal in open court on December 9, 2015 affirmed his victory.
“Ordinarily, we should not have reacted to such fallacious publications, but our reticence may mislead the unseeming minds from discerning between reality and fiction.
“It is based on this realisation that we are indeed compelled to react. It is unfortunate that Konbowei Benson is accentuated by greed and desperation to disseminate such deliberate falsehood to mislead members of the society including his pastors and church members.
“Elementary intelligence, logic and commonsense suggest that a person who claims to win a case should produce the judgement of the court confirming his victory. Where is the judgement delivered on December 9, 2015, where Konbowei claimed victory?
“For the avoidance of doubt, let it be established right away that the unanimous judgement of the court of appeal delivered by Justice Ejembi Eko, JCA on December 9, 2015 declared the election of Benson as the purported winner of the House of Assembly seat for Southern Ijaw Constituency 4, held on the 11th April, 2015 as null and void.
“Therefore, the Appeal Court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct elections within 90 days from the date of judgement”, he stated.
According to him, the Court of Appeal did not give two conflicting judgements as falsely claimed by Benson, noting that the judgement which sacked Benson was the only subsisting judgement and that Benson, including his team of lawyers, had copies of the ruling.
He stated that in utter defiance to the judgement of the Court of Appeal, Benson presided over the 2016 budget presented on the floor of the House by Governor Seriake Dickson on January 15, 2016.
“It is worrisome that the conduct of Benson borders on contempt of court and wanton disregard for the rule of law.
“As you are aware, the illegality perpetrated by the ex-Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and members of the PDP-led Government is an absolute display of lawlessness reminiscence of the Hobberisan state of nature”, Orunimighe said.
He, therefore, urged the members of the public to disregard the innuendoes of Benson, advising the embattled Speaker to stop engaging in acts that are tantamount to disobeying the lawful and valid judgement of the Court of Appeal.
It would be recalled that Benson had last Thursday in Abuja refuted reports that he stepped down as the Speaker following a court judgment.
Benson had described as “untrue and lies in the highest order” the report that the Appeal Court in Port Harcourt nullified his election to the state Assembly.
He had said he had sufficient proofs that the judgment for that day was delivered in his favour.
The Speaker had argued that there was no enrolment order from the court asking him to vacate his seat, adding that “INEC has not informed me of any notice of enrolment or whatever they have received, there is nothing.
“The falsehood being circulated in both the social, electronic and print media by members of the APC should be disregarded as it represents the desperate ambition and interest of only the peddlers of this falsehood.
“What transpired in the open court was that the case was dismissed for lack of merit by the presiding Judge of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ejembi Eko, represented by Justice Muhammed Lawal Garba”, Benson had said.
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