Council Chief Whip Suspended

By EUBALDUS ENAHORO

The age long factional crisis in Sapele Local Government Area of Delta State has led to the indefinite suspension of the chief whip of the legislative House, and three councillors for attempting to impeach the leader of the legislative arm, Hon. Mrs. Eunice Anirah, just as the Local government chairman,Hon. Godwin Atose got a vote of confidence from the councillors.

The councillors who are loyal to a former Chairman in the area but now a member of
the State House of Assembly who worked against the chairmanship aspiration of the chairman of the council Hon. Godwin Atose were suspended in order to serve as deterrent to others and to bring sanity to the local government area.

It was learnt by the Weekend Observer, that since the inception of the administration
of Hon Godwin Atose as Chairman of the Local Government which has witnessed tremendous development in barely one hundred days in office, the faction loyal to the former chairman have been making governance of the area difficult to the extent that Hon. Atose was dragged to the Delta State House of Assembly over the choice of supervisors made.

Those suspended for what the house refered to as “Official misconduct”include a relation of the former chairman who is the chief whip, Hon. Otaighene Owighose, Hon. Efe Mafuru, Hon. Philo Oboro Asama and Hon. Charles Okiti.

According to sources, the suspended councilors attempted to impeach the leader of the house, chief (Mrs.) Anirah because she does not belong to their faction of the Peoples Democratic Party ( P.D.P ).
The attempt failed because they could not muster the support of their councilors for their action.

The suspended legislators, it was learnt, had planned to replace the incumbent speaker with Hon. Charles Okiti, one time leader of the legislative house and thereafter proceed to impeach the Executive chairman of the council, Hon. Godwin Atose.

However, the leader of the house, Hon. Mrs. Anirah got the support of her colleagues and a vote of confidence was subsequently passed on the council chairman, Hon. Atose and her humble self with 15 councilors voting in their favour following a motion moved by Hon. Felix Ayemidejor.

While reacting to the incidence, Hon. Mrs. Anirah who confirmed the report said that normalcy had however, been restored to the house but noted that a faction of Sapele P.D.P has been plotting to derail the Atose’s young administration through blackmail and falsehood.

Meanwhile, the people of Sapele local government area have commended the administration of Hon. Atose for meeting the aspiration of the local government which has withnessed backwardness in the past and they noted that if the tempo which the administration took off with is sustained Sapele will regain its lost glory in the next few years.