Bayelsa assembly recalls clerk suspended 8 months ago

The Bayelsa state House of Assembly on Thursday recalled the suspended clerk of the assembly, Mr. Owudogu Edward Kozigena who was suspended last November for taking a unilateral decision without the consideration of the house leadership.

Kozigena’s recall was sequel to a motion for adoption of the report of the ad hoc committee set up by the house to investigate the allegations levelled against the suspended clerk during the committee of the whole of the house.

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Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Abraham Ingobere after the adoption of the Ad-hoc committee report by members, said the suspended clerk, Mr. Owudogu Edward Kozigena has been pardoned and reinstated back to his office as the substantive clerk of the house.

Addressing journalists after the sitting, the chairman, House Committee on Information, Tare Porri, explained that the suspended clerk unilaterally carried out some assignment of the Assembly without the proper consultation with the leadership of the House.

He said the action warranted his suspension and thereafter, an ad-hoc committee was setup to look critically into the issues and witnesses were called to verified some of the allegations.

Porri disclosed that the suspended clerk had since tendered an official apology to the leadership and indeed the members of the Assembly.

He said, “This will serve as deterrent to others in the institution that despite the speaker age and his desposition, its an office everyone should respect, the 24 members should be respected at all time in as much as we are also respecting the staff of the Assembly.

“He will be assuming office with all his entitlements restored, all his full benefits restored. We would work together as a team believing that on his return, we would again have a cordial working relationship with the office of the clerk, staff, the 24 members and the leadership of the 6th Assembly.”

“We are here to serve Bayelsa state and the staff here also by God providence were sent here to make our work more easier. The House today formally and officially recall our suspended former clerk back and as a substantive clerk of the House,” he said.