No fewer than 16 registered political parties in Kogi State have dragged the state government to court for alleged reconstituting local governments without recourse to the democratic process of election.

The political parties are UPP, Action Alliance, Advance Congress for Democrats, Alliance for Democracy, Citizen Popular Party, Hope Democratic Party, Kowa Party and Labour Party.

The others are Fresh Democratic party, Peoples Democratic Party, Independent Democrat, New Nigeria Peoples Party, Unity Party of Nigeria, Peoples Democratic Movement, Young Democratic Party and Peoples Party of Nigeria.

Their originating summons, signed by counsel to the political parties, Williams Aliwo, dated May 18, was made available to newsmen in Lokoja on Wednesday.

They joined the Kogi State Government, the Attorney-General of Kogi State, the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Attorney-General of the Federation as co-defendants.

The applicants contended that the state government contravened Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution as amended by reconstituting the 21 local governments on May 6 without recourse to elections.

They want the court to declare the reconstitution unconstitutional, unlawful, wrongful, null and void.

They also urged the court to declare that the purported reconstitution “is not recognisable for purposes of enjoying financial patronage of the Federal Government through the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.”

They urged the court to direct the Accountant-General of the Federation to stop any allocation or any kind of financial resources to the councils until they were properly and democratically reconstituted.

They also sought an order directing the Kogi State Government to reconstitute local councils in the state by democratic process.

The originating summon was supported by a 33-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Iliyas Badanga, the state Chairman of the United Progressive Party.

They want the court to determine whether the state government was right in reconstituting the councils and whether the action was democratic.

The other issue was whether the councils could be granted financial allocations in view of the anomalies associated with the constitution.

In their motion on notice, the political parties urged the court to restrain the respondent from recognizing the reconstituted councils.

NAN.  [myad]

Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court in Abuja ‎has told the former national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh that court is not a Father Christmas that would give what it did not have.

“This is not a case of sympathy, but a case of law.‎ This court has no jurisdiction to entertain this application.”

Justice Abang spoke today when he ruled, rejecting Metuh’s application seeking for leave to travel abroad for medical treatment.

The judge ruled that the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain Metuh’s application because there was a subsisting order.

The order directed Metuh to deposit his international passport with the chief registrar of the high court as part of his bail conditions.

He added that Metuh, through his counsel, did not apply to vary the bail conditions.

“The court is not Father Christmas to give to the defendant what it did not ask for. The application lacks merit. It is accordingly dismissed. The court cannot set aside its decision.”

Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal has dismissed Metuh’s appeal of no case submission, and upheld the earlier ruling of the Federal High Court , Abuja which had previously rejected the said application. [myad]

A 75 year old man, whose name was given as Baba Jigawa, has committed suicide by hanging himself in Gombe, the capital of Gombe state.

The Gombe State Police Command confirmed incidence, saying that Baba Jigawa was found hanging in a provision store at Gombe Timber market.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmed Usman, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Gombe on Tuesday that the incident occurred on Monday.

Usman said: “he was found hanging; photograph of his remains snapped and investigations are still ongoing.”

DSP Usman said that the body was taken to the Specialists’ Hospital Gombe, where Doctors confirmed that he was dead.

According to him, efforts are being intensified to get to the root of the matter. [myad]

Soldiers from the 2 Brigade Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, stationed in Bori, Rivers State are at loggerhead with the Council of Ogoni Traditional Rulers (COTRA) over the arrest of the paramount ruler of Yeghe community in Ogoniland, Barinaadaa Gbaranee.

Yeghe community, in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State has been a hot spot of army operations since they invaded the community in February in search of ex-agitator, Solomon Ndigbara, whom the military has since declared wanted.

Not less than 20 persons were allegedly killed in the military operation even though the army said nobody was killed.

The Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, 2 Brigade Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Captain Eli Lazarus, confirmed the arrest of the Ogoni traditional ruler.

He however said the army “invited” Gbaranee for questioning concerning an investigation it was carrying out.

Lazarus said: “the paramount ruler of Yeghe community, HRH Barinadaa Gbaranee, was invited by 2 Brigade Nigerian Army in connection with an on-going investigation that relates to security within his domain. I assure you that he will return to his community as soon as investigation is completed.”

But the Chairman of COTRA, King Suanu Baridam, in a statement issued said, “We consider the abduction of Chief T.D. Gbaranee a desecration of the highly respected traditional institution and strongly reject the humiliation of an Ogoni traditional stool by the Army.” [myad]

The new Oba of Benin, His Royal Highness Edaiken N’Uselu, Crown Prince Eheneden Erediauwa, has emerged after the death of the former one.

The Edo State Government approved the appointment of the Edaiken N’Uselu, saying that the approval was in line with Section 19 (1) of the Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Law, 1979 (as amended), adding that the appointment takes effect from ‎April 29, 2016.

According to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to governor Adams Oshiomhole, the approval was contained in a letter dated May 24, 2016, and signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Julius Ihonvbere.

Part of the letter titled, Appointment of His Royal Highness, Edaiken N’Uselu, Crown Prince Eheneden Erediauwa, as the Oba of Benin, read: “It is hereby notified for general information that in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 19 (1) of the Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Law, 1979  (as amended) and by virtue of all other laws enabling it in that behalf, the Executive Council of the Edo State Government of Nigeria has approved the appointment of His Royal Highness Edaiken N’Uselu, Crown Prince Eheneden Erediauwa as the Oba of Benin, with effect from April 29, 2016.”‎

The death of the immediate past Oba, Omo n’Oba n’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Erediauwa, was announced late last month by the Edo state government thus:

“Our hearts are heavy, laden with pains and grief, at the announcement of the passing on to glory of Omo n’Oba n’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Erediauwa of Benin, our highly revered Oba, a distinguished Edo numero uno, an accomplished Nigerian, a seasoned bureaucrat, quintessential unifier, unique personage and exemplary Omo N’Oba, whose reign brought distinction, immense class, finesse and integrity to traditional institution in Edo state and the country at large.

“His carriage comes with an élan that was peculiar with the reverence of royalty. His uncommon courage was symbolic of the can-do spirit of the Edo mind. His unity of purpose was not in doubt even as he used his revered position to promote constructive engagement amongst all shades of opinion and culture in Edo state.”  [myad]

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, has said that the Nigeria Federal Government is in the process of repatriating from Jersey, the stolen 300 million pounds.

Onyeama who spoke on Tuesday in Abuja at a news conference organized as part of activities to mark the one year anniversary of President Mohammadu Buhari’s administration, said that the money in Jersey would have been repatriated but for a last minute objection by the people, who were supposed to forfeit it.

“We are just in the process of repatriating that in the UK itself. Sometimes very often what happens is that the people, who have ownership or who claim to have ownership (of the money) might bring up a defence.

“Like if you take the one in Jersey, it is like 300 million pounds or thereabout; now everything had been done to repatriate the money.

“It was no longer contested and then at the last minute, an objection was raised by the people, who were supposed to forfeit those funds.

Jersey, an independent, English-speaking territory with a mix of British and French cultures, is the largest of the Channel Islands located between England and France.

According to the minister, the important thing is that the process has been engaged.

He said Nigeria would not relent in seeking to repatriate the alleged stolen funds.

He also said that the process of repatriation of looted funds stacked in other countries like Switzerland and the US is in progress. [myad]

In spite of the political wrangling between Governor Nasiru Ahmed El-Rufai of Kaduna state and his fellow party man, Senator Shehu Sanni, El-Rufai, Tuesday, visited Shehu Sanni over the death of his mother.

El-Rufai was at Senator Sanni residence in Tudun Wada area of Kaduna metropolis to condole with him.

Sanni’s mother, Amina Abdullahi Sani, died on Saturday after a brief illness, the family said. [myad]