Delta Tribunal: Why Deputy Speaker, Osanebi, May Emerge Acting Governor

By Amos Igbebe
Indications are rife that Deputy Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Friday Osanebi, may likely emerge as Acting Governor of Delta State following the possibility of the election petition tribunal trying both Governorship and House of Assembly election cases in Asaba, upturning the election of the State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Monday Igbuya. This is based on the facts emerging from the two distinct tribunals sitting in Asaba, the state capital.
Reports emerging from the House of Assembly election petition tribunal are indicative that the election of Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Monday Igbuya, may be upturned as even one of his aides had attested that his boss’ case in the tribunal was a bad one.
The knowledge of the case being a bad might have motivated the recent allegation against the Speaker that he invited members of the State House of Assembly to contribute N5m each to compromise the integrity of the judges trying the cases of members of the House at the tribunal.
The report, which went viral two weeks ago, alleged that 23 PDP lawmakers had contributed the N5m each but the Labour Party lawmaker who was approached by the Speaker for his contribution, declined, leading to the secret deal being made known to journalists in the state capital.
It was also reported that Igbuya had sent emissaries to his opponent to plead with him to drop his case at the tribunal but he turned down the plea, saying the case was a party affair and not a personal matter, hence, he has no choice of his own to drop the case against the Speaker at the tribunal.
Chief Felix Anirah, the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate for the State House of Assembly had challenged the election of Igbuya at the tribunal, but Igbuya’s emissaries could not strike a deal with him to drop the case and settle out of court.
The said 15 man delegation of the Okpe Union Worldwide was alleged to have been sent by the Speaker to drop the case so that the constituency does not lose the Speakership office that was zoned to the area.
The move, it was learnt, was initiated after carefully examining the case at the tribunal and the possibility of Igbuya losing to the APC candidate.
The report quoted one of the delegates to have said “Igbuya is aware of the fact that the election that returned him to the house was not free and fair and there is this fear that he might lose in the court, and if that happens, the Okpes would have lost the speakership, so he appealed to the Okpe Union to intervene, and that is why we visited Chief Anirah”.
However, the meeting, it was learnt, did not yield any positive result as Anirah was unwilling to let go the constituency seat to Igbuya, whom he accused of poorly executing projects meant for Sapele or out rightly abandoning them.
For the Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, the facts are not much different from those of the Speaker of the House of Assembly.
A careful analysis of proceedings at the tribunal indicates that Okowa may also be booted out of the Delta Government House as it is evident that the case is out rightly not in his favour.
Reports emanating from the tribunal and being circulated on social media that are in favour of the governor are carefully screened and polished by the State Government House Reporters and the Governor’s media aides with a view to blindfolding members of the public who are not conversant with the proceedings at the tribunal.
Members of the public and party faithful who took time to attend the tribunal could easily conclude that from the overwhelming evidences and witnesses who testified at the tribunal, the judges had soft spot for the APC candidate as the three man panel, on several occasions, objected moves by the PDP and Okowa to thwart the evidences of the APC candidate, Olorogun Otega Emerhor.
Meanwhile, in an empowerment programme organized by the Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Friday Osanebi, there were insinuations that a re-run election for the governorship election was inevitable.
The empowerment programme which held at Ashaka, an agrarian community in Ndokwa East Local Government Area on Monday, September 21, 2015, the Deputy Speaker led his constituency members in the presence of the local government Chairman, Nkechi Chukwurah, in prayer for the Governor.
He initially did not tell the rationale behind the prayers, but at the end of the prayers, he said “I asked for the prayers not because of re-run election but because Governor Okowa loves Ndokwa East people”.