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The Abia State House of Assembly has explained the reasons behind its rejection of the proposed local government elections in the state which was slated for January next year. It said the State Independent Electoral Commission was not ready for such exercise.

The House said that there were still many things to be done by the body which were yet to be done, such as delineation of political wards, party primaries and other logistics required for a successful council election in the state.

Speaking in Umuahia during the monthly press briefing of the House of Assembly, the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Allwell Asiforo Okere, said that after looking into the case involving the council elections, they found that it would not be possible to hold the elections at that time.

Okere, who is also the House Committee Chairman on information, said that after meeting with the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission (ABSIEC) Chairman and members, they found that the Commission had nothing on ground to hold the election at the stipulated time.

He said: “ABSIEC does not even have the funds. It has not done the delineation of political wards and the party primaries which take about three or more months have not been done and other logistics associated with such election. We came up with the idea that the elections will not hold.”

The Deputy Speaker said that the House was not against holding elections into the various offices in the 17 local government areas of the state, “but we want the proper things to be done, so that our politicians will not waste their money on a venture that will not hold.”

He called on ABSIEC to let members of the public know when the local government elections will be held since January date will no longer be viable, stressing that by so doing, those who are interested will be better prepared.

A man in his mid 20s, Mr. Ovie Emeserhire, has appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Muhammed Abubakar, to constitute an independent body to investigate the circumstances that surrounder the alleged murder of his mother, Ms. Josephine Diemudeke, by a Warri-based businessman and the allegation of conspiracy by the police in “B” Division, Warri, Delta State to cover the suspect.

Ovie, in a petition dated September 10, 2012 and sent to the IG through his lawyer, Jonathan Ekperusai, alleged that his mother was invited to his house by the businessman (names withheld) on January 11 this year, but did not return home but only to discover her body at Warri Central Hospital after several weeks.

The petitioner and his relations, Pa. Gabriel Ekrebe and Isaac Diemudeke, alleged that the police in “B” Division had refused to act on the report of the murder of his mother until the family petitioned the Assistant-Inspector-General of Police, Zone 5, Benin before the suspect was arrested and detained by detectives from Asaba, barely six months after the incident.

The House Committee on Works has condemned the quality and low pace of work on the 60Km road in Jega and Koko Local Government Areas of Kebbi State. The committee was led by the Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Works Hon. (Engr.) Mohammad Ali Wudid.

Hon Wudid, who made the remark while inspecting the rehabilitation of the road contract awarded to PA-ETOS Ltd, at the cost of N996 Million, and billed to be completed in January, 2013, said that he was not satisfied with the quality and level of work done by the contractor.

The committee went on to direct the Kebbi State government, through the Ministry of Works, to monitor the contractor and report any irregularity to the House of Representatives for appropriate action.

“We are going to come back here before the expiration of the lifespan of this contract, and if nothing better is done, we will invite the Hon. Minister of Works to explain to us the reason behind the delay. We are carrying out this oversight function without fear or favour,” he added.

Hon. Engr. Mudid explained that the rehabilitation of the 60Km road was a palliative measure to save Nigerians from the frequent road accidents as a result of the deplorable condition of the road.

He announced that the main contract for the reconstruction of the road was in the pipeline as the Federal Government is gearing towards the total reconstruction of the road, and maintained that the House of Representatives was solidly behind the take off of the project.

In his reaction, the member, House Committee on Works, representing Argungu Federal Constituency, Hon. Garba Musa Gulma, charged the people of Kebbi to mobilize to ensure that the contractor handling the rehabilitation work adheres strictly to specifications and contract period.

He expressed dissatisfaction with the level of work done so far, and warned the contractor to hasten up and complete the rehabilitation work before the total reconstruction work would commence.

The palace of one of the oldest monarchs in Nigeria has been submerged by the ravaging flood in Bayelsa State.

The palace of King W.S Joshua Igbugburu X (JP) CON, Ibenanawei of Bomo Kingdom in Ekowe community in the Southern Ijaw area, who is also the pioneer Chairman Bayelsa State Council of traditional rulers, was submerged, including other communities in the monarch’s kingdom.

The submerged communities include Diebu Opuama, Polobubou, Nagiama, Peremabiri, Ofonibiri, Eniwari, Emete, Igbomotoru 1&2, Ozezebiri and others.

Taking journalists round the affected riverine communises, King Igbugburu lamented that his palace which was built in the 1950s when he came on board has been submerged by the ravaging flood and himself rendered homeless.

“During A!my visit to all the communities in my domain, I discovered that many people and houses, including my palace have been submerged by the flood and we have been rendered homeless, with no shelter or food.”

“I appeal to the operators of relief materials, chairmen of local government councils, committees and other leaders to think of the masses first so as to project the good gesture of President Jonathan and Governor Seriake Dickson,” added the King.

In a similar development, the state government says the state is looking beyond the after effects of the flood.

Rear Admiral Gbaribiogha John Jonah, the Deputy Governor of the state who gave the hint when he received over three trucks of relief materials donated by the Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) in Yenagoa Thursday noted that what is worrisome to the state government is how the current disaster will be managed after the flood.

“Managing disaster after the flood is important”, noted the worried Deputy Governor who reminded the management of the multinational oil Company to be prepared to accommodate a plethora of demands frits host Communities after the flood.

He further lamented that over one third of Yenagoa the state capital was affected by the flood in spite of the massive drainage and sand filling that had taken place.

While lauding the large number of relief materials donated to cushion the effects of the flood, the deputy governor, who is also the chairman of the state committee on relief management and distribution noted that as partners, the state will continue to seek for assistance from NAOC.

The killings in part of the north have continued with the killing of ten people in Angwan Alaku, near Kadarko, Nasarawa State, by people suspected to be Fulani herdsmen.

The attack, which left several people injured, also claimed the life of a little child, who allegedly drowned while fleeing the fighting.

When contacted, the Police PPRO, Nicholas Ocholi, confirmed the incident, could not confirm the number of the dead, and that conflicting figures were being given by the people.

As at the time of filing this report yesterday, bodies of those killed were brought to the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia, in military vehicle.

Those who spoke on the killings said the victims were busy processing garri when the suspected herdsmen swooped on them.

Peaking with The Nation, the youth leader in the area, Ayuba Peter, said the corpses of the victims were recovered from the surrounding bushes by the villagers the day after the killings took place.

Peter, who decried the killings, however, wondered what could be responsible for the killings, as, according to him, “the Eggo and the Fulani people are not known to have had any misunderstanding.”

Efforts by the governments of Benue and Nasarawa States to bring the warring sides to a roundtable have not yielded any positive result, as fighting has continued unabated.

A community leader who spoke on the fighting at a displaced people camp in Kadarko, called on the Nasarawa State government to immediately wade into the crises and “proffer solutions before it snowballs into another war.”

The last may not have been heard of the controversial impeachment of the Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Alhaji Abdullahi Bello, as his supporters stormed Abuja, yesterday, asking for his reinstatement.

The protesters, numbering over 200, under the auspices of “Kogi sons and daughters in Abuja “marched to the headquarters of the Ministry of Justice, located at the Central Business District (CDB) chanting solidarity songs and denouncing the action.

They carried banners bearing different messages, some of which read: “Kogi sons and daughters in Abuja: We say no to cash/carry legislators. No to Wuruwuru impeachment.”, “Wada is our problem. Ibro is our major problem.”

The protest was led by the Anti-Corruption Network, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) based in Abuja.

Executive Secretary of the Network, Hon Dino Melaye, said it was high time the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, call the perpetrators of the “lawlessness” in Kogi to order.”

The former House of Representatives member gave the AGF a 72-hour ultimatum to condemn the illegal action publicly as the chief law officer of the Federation.

He said Adoke’s condemnation has become necessary to prevent a national disgrace and a dangerous precedent, and vowed that angry Nigerians would have no choice but to occupy Adoke’s office if he fails to speak before the expiration of the ultimatum.

The Chief Security Officer of the Ministry of Justice, who simply identified himself as Mr. Y. Abdullahi, received the Network’s petition on behalf of Adoke.

According to a copy of the petition made available to The Nation, the group said it was unconstitutional for a Speaker to be impeached without the constitutionally required two-third majority of the House.

Four days after two pupils were abducted by masked gun at Esuk Otu Street of Murtala Mohammed Highway in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, the children have re-united with their family. The children were released yesterday after the family paid a one million naira ransom.

The children, Emmanuel, 10 and Agbo, four were abducted on Tuesday morning while their mother, Mrs. Juliet Eko James was taking them to school.

The kidnappers had been keeping in touch with the children’s father, Johnson Eko James, through their mother’s phone which they seized.

According to the family, yesterday morning, the kidnappers called to demand for 10 million naira. The father pleaded with them that he had raised only one million naira. They threatened him that if he did not raise the amount, they were going to kill the children. The family said they begged the kidnappers and after much pleading, the finally agreed to the one million naira that the fathered raised.

The kidnappers later called to give instruction on how to bring the money to them. The father was instructed to go to a place, Okomita, in Akamkpa council area close to Biase and leave the money and they warned the family against informing the police. After the money was dropped, the kidnappers called children’s father and asked him to go back to Calabar, that the children had been dropped at the Specilaist Hospital, along the highway. That was where the children were later picked up.