The Nasarawa State chapter of the Nigerian Union of local Government Employee, NULGE, has accused Nasarawa State governor, Umaru Tanko Al-makura, of neglecting the union for the past two years which led to the indefinite strike declared by a faction of the union.

The state NULGE has since 2010 been thrown into chaos as a result of an election which divided the union into two factions.

Speaking to journalists in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, a factional state president of NULGE,Adamu Salihu Eladoga, attributed the declaration of the strike to government’s insensitivity to the plight of workers.

According to him, a lot of local government staff have been under paid since the state government carried out biometric registration of workers.

He also faulted the inability of the state government to pay local government workers their annual increment for the past three years.

Eladoga said another reason for the strike is the delay in paying salaries of local government workers and the delay in the reinstatement of over 5,000 local government workers who dismissed after Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura came into office in 2011.

Another rationale for the strike, according to the union’s president, is the inability of the state government to pay leave transport grants to any of its worker since 2010.

The union president also faulted the non-implementation of scheme of service for local government which was initiated by the Obasanjo administration.

“The inadequate funding of local government is affecting the progress of local governments drastically, both in infrastructural development and security wise. Almost one-third of the local governments in this state is engulfed by one crisis or the other and the local government is the immediate government to those communities and they need to have enough funds on ground to tackle this crisis because no one can tackle security problems without money,” he said.

“The security agents need fuel, working materials and other allowances and the local government is supposed to cater for these needs.”

He further: “Everyday the government will say local government money is intact but I don’t want to jump the gun because apart from salary, the money local government is being given only N500,000 to run the affairs of the local government for a month. This is not enough for each local government.”

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The president maintained that “under normal circumstance, government should make money coming into state/local government account public. The distribution should also be made public, just as it is the case in Benue and other states. But, in our own case, it is an exclusive affair”.

Eladoga called for the speedy passage of law on local government
autonomy as, according to him, it is the only way development can get to the grassroot.

The national convention of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ended in confusion as former vice president Atiku Abubakar, seven governors and others stormed out of the event to form another faction of the party.

Others who walked out of the Eagle Square convention ground included governors Rotimi Amaechi(Rivers), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), MurtalaNyako (Adamawa), Sule Lamido (Jigawa) and Aliyu Wamako.

Also in the group was Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former governor of Osun State who was ousted recently as the secretary of the party.

The group convened immediately at the Yar Adua Centre in Abuja and held its own convention where national officers were elected, with Abubakar Kawu Baraje emerging as its national chairman.

While Sam Jaja emerged as the deputy chairman of the splinter PDP, Oyinlola regained the post of secretary which he lost in the ruling party months ago.

Addressing the press later, Baraje explained that leaders of the party had no choice but to found the breakaway group in view of “the increasing repression, restrictions of freedom of association, arbitrary suspension of members and other such violations of democratic principles by a faction of our party led by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur”.

Baraje said that the politics of the 2015 elections had “blinded certain people from the consequences of their actions” and that the constitution of the party had been “serially abused” byTukur and others while “all the organs of the party have been rendered virtually ineffectual by a few people who act as though above the law”.

The splinter PDP chairman said the convention at the Eagle Square was held against the constitution of the party, observing that the date of the event was not chosen by the National Executive Committee, NEC, the authorized body, while delegates were allowed from nine states where the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had said congresses were not properly conducted.

The new group also faulted the upturning of the election of Andy Ubah and his suspension from the party “in defiance of subsisting court orders” and in spite of INEC’s recognition of his winning thePDP Anamba governorship primaries.

Baraje also listed as worrisome developments in the party the suspension of governors Ameachi andWamako, the dismissal of Jaja, a national officer by state officials and the dissolution of theAdamawa State chapter of the PDP.

The faction promised “a new lease of life” for those “who may have become disillusioned by the anti-democratic tendencies of the Bamanga Tukur’s leadership”, adding that the PDP was not envisioned to be “a political party where one man would be taking decisions for all members and where once you do not kowtow before the presidency, you are deemed a rebel that must be crushed”.

As Baraje was charting a new course for the party, at the national convention in Eagle Square, which had President Goodluck Jonathan in attendance, speakers were calling for a rallying of forces to take the party forward.

The chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, Tony Anenih, called for peaceful co-existence in Nigeria for the enhancement of the country’s stability, just as he asked members to complement this by embracing peace as well.

“This call becomes imperative for the country to move forward. Time has come for all Nigerians to come together and tolerate one another,” he said.

Anenih who noted that there would always be crisis in every society, however, said PDP had the mechanism to resolve its internal crises.

In his speech, the Governor of Akwa-Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, said the party was owned by all Nigerians and emphasised the need for peace to reign in the country for the country to be run smoothly.

Akpabio, who is also the chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, claimed that statistics showed that the best states at the moment in the country were the ones being run by PDP governors.

He also said PDP governors had resolved to give adequate support to President Goodluck Jonathan in the running of the country.

“The President has succeeded with “an uncommon performance”, leading to the reaping of democratic dividends by the people.

“The uncommon reformation in both the power, health and aviation sectors are great achievements. For the first time in 10 years, the rails are now running and airports are wearing new-looks, just as peace is being restored in the troubled Northern parts of the country,” Akpabiosaid.

Below is text of Abubakar Baraje’s address.

We address you today as leaders of PDP, who are worried by the increasing repression, restrictions of freedom of association, arbitrary suspension of members and other such violations of democratic principles by a faction of our party led by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur .

While we have done everything humanly possible to bring to the attention of critical stakeholders within the party the dangers inherent in the course being charted by that leadership, it has become very clear that the desperate permutations towards 2015 general elections have blinded certain people from the consequences of their actions.

Not only has the constitution of the party been serially  abused by Alhaji Tukur and his fellowtravellers, all the organs of the party have been rendered virtually ineffectual by a few people who act as though above the law. Unfortunately, it is obvious that that they get encouragement from the presidency whose old calculations are geared towards shutting out any real or imagined opposition ahead of the party’s presidential primaries for the 2015 elections.

As leaders of our great party, we consider it a sacred responsibility to save the PDP from the antics of a few desperadoes who have no democratic temperament and are therefore bent on hijacking the party for selfish ends. While the list of their violations of the tenets of our great party is long, we will highlight just a few:

The National Executive Committee of the PDP at its belated meeting of 20June 2013 approved 20July2013 for the conduct of a special national convention.

However, that date was changed to August 31 without reverting to NEC (the only authority vested with such powers) by a few people, apparently acting on the authority of the presidency.

Notwithstanding the fact that INEC had noted that the PDP congresses in nine states were not properly conducted, the illegal delegates from such states are being paraded at the so-called convention being held today in a cynical attempt to circumvent the law and further bring the name of the party to disrepute.

In gross violation of the PDP constitution which stipulates that the NEC meeting must hold at least once in a quarter, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and a few people have been running the party like a personal fiefdom without recourse to that important decision-making organ of the party.

The NEC of the party accepted the resignation of the former members of the NWC whose offices were affected by INEC observations based principally on the agreement that the affected officers would be returned to their respective offices at the convention. However, against the decision of the NEC and in a not-so-clever bid to exclude some perceived opponents of the few powerful members who are trying to hijack the party, these positions have been made Open to some Yes-men within the party.

Notwithstanding INEC instance that Senator Any Uba is the duly elected candidate of the party inAnambra State and against the background that he is so recognized by majority of our party members, the Bamanga Tukur-led Executives announced a purported suspension of Senator Ubaand some other members close to him in defiance of subsisting court orders.

Despite that the PDP Constitution is very clear that the state chapter of the party cannot discipline a national officer, the Deputy National Chairman, Mr. Sam Jaja, has reportedly been dismissed by some renegades who have hijacked the Rivers State chapter of our party with the connivance of the Bamanga Tukur leadership.

The persistent change in the list of the party’s delegates in many states as part of a deliberate attempt to rig the party’s nomination of candidates, especially at the presidential and gubernatorial levels, with a view to foisting on the PDP some unpopular candidates who are bound to lose at the polls.

The suspension without due process of the Governors of Rivers and Sokoto states. Even when the illegal suspension on Sokoto State Governor has been lifted, the Rivers Governor remains purportedly suspended for no just cause.

The illegal dissolution of the Adamawa State chapter of the party is a clear abuse of power byAlhaji Bamanga Tukur thus causing confusion in his home state.

Given the foregoing, it is very clear that the Bamanga Tukur leadership cannot guarantee for our millions of party members democracy anchored on free choice and the rule of law. We have therefore taken it upon ourselves to rescue the party from their int and dictatorial leadership.

It is indeed noteworthy that from 1999 to date, Nigerians have constantly voted the presidential candidates presented by our great party but not only dies such trust come wig enormous responsibility, we recognize that we cannot continue to take the people f granted.

From now, the new leadership of the party under us will strive to build a fairer as well as a more transparent and accountable PDP that will putty interest of members and indeed all the people of Nigeria above that of one single individual.

For all the members of our great party who may have become disillusioned by the anti-democratic tendencies of the Bamanga Tukur’s leadership, there is a new lease of life in the horizon. It’s a new day for the Peoples Democratic Party.

As we take over the leadership of the PDP, our immediate priority is to revive the culture of robust debate of all contending issues while providing a level-playing field for all our members. These were the ideals that differentiated our party from others and endeared us to Nigerians.

We are not, and have never been a political party where one man would be taking decisions for all members and where once you do not kowtow before the presidency, you are deemed a rebel that must be crushed. That is not the PDP bequeathed to us by our founding fathers. That, I dare say, is no longer what PDP under our leadership will represent from today.

The PDP convention is still in progress at the Eagle Square.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, has denied an allegation leveled against the party by Kwarachapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, of planning to disrupt the Offa local government election rerun today.

Rather, it said, the PDP is indeed the purveyor of violence and the mastermind of rigging going into the polls.

A statement issued by the APC’s national publicity secretary, Lai Mohammed, said the allegation is an admission of failure on the part of the PDP, which has been in power in Kwara for the last 10 years.

”If a government that has been in power for this length of time, that has control over the police and the State Security Service (SSS) is now crying wolf over an isolated local government rerun, it can only mean one thing, that the government has lost control of events in the state and that it is no longer sure of the support of the people it claims to be governing,” Mohammed said.

Kwara PDP in a statement issued by its director of publicity, Mas’ud Adebimpe, on Wednesday alleged that APC planned to import political thugs and assassins from neighbouring states who would invade Offa few days to the election day.

Ma’sud said the plot was hatched during a meeting presided over by Mohammed and held at Oro inIrepodun local government of the state.

APC disclaimed the presence of its national publicity secretary at any such meeting as he had been out of the country.

It stated further that fear of losing the Saturday’s election prompted the allegation, pointing out that the PDP has never won elections in Offa local government.

Contrary to allegation made by PDP, Mohammed stated that it is a tradition for The ruling party to mobilize thugs during elections claiming that there is pictorial evidence of the attacks carried out during past polls against its members and supporters including damage done to their vehicles.

The APC urged its members and supporters to continue to eschew violence even in the face of provocation from the PDP, but urged them to turn out in large numbers to vote and ensure that they defend their votes on Saturday.

A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt on Wednesday restrained the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from recognising Tony Nwoye as the party’s candidate for the November 16 Anambra governorship election.

The court, presided over by Justice Hyeladzira Nganjiwa, gave the order following an originating summons filed by the Anambra state factional chairman of PDP, Ejike Oguebego.

The court also restrained PDP and INEC from accepting the outcome of the primary election conducted by Ken Emeakayi’s faction of the party.

It said PDP and INEC should stop further action pending the hearing of the motion for an interlocutory injunction and motion to set aside the interim order.

The court adjourned the case to August 30 for hearing.

The party had recognised and given certificate of return to Nwoye who won the primary election conducted by the Emeakayi faction.

Andy Uba had emerged factional winner in another primary election held concurrently by INEC’srecognised chairman of the state’s chapter of the party, Oguebeo.

But the national leadership of the party gave recognition to Nwoye and had summoned Uba andOguebego to appear before the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, for holding a rival primary election for the governorship poll.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the only governorship primary election recognised by the party was the primary election conducted by the electoral panel under the leadership of Governor IbrahimShema of Katsina,” the party’s acting national publicity secretary, Tony Okeke said.

Okeke added that the holding of the other primary was  “a clear breach of our party’s constitution and is therefore totally unacceptable and cannot be condoned.”

For the first time, all 25,000 candidates who sat for the entrance examination for the new academic year into the University of Liberia, the country’s  main public institution, have failed.

It is an evidence of the President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s recent comment that the education system was still “in a mess”, and that much needed to be done to improve it.

“None of the 25,000 students who sat the test (obtained) the required points,” said university vice-president, Ansu Sonii said.

The university’s president, Emmet A. Dennis said the poor results forced the institution to lower it’s admission standards to take in 1,600 students in both undergraduate and post-graduates students for the new term which begins next month.

He said that the results from the exams, though alarming, were real and added that there is a need for repeated engagements in addressing the low-rated education in the country.

Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, was worried about the development which she termed “embarrassing” and has  made an impromptu call at the university to discuss the failure, her office said in a statement.

Worried by the mass failure and comparing their performances with other countries, the president urged the country to see the poor performance of the candidates as a “national emergency”, adding that all Liberians, irrespective of political background, must tackle the issue of dire standards in schools.

“The problem is not just taking the test and failing. The problem is where they are coming from — so we have to go into those high schools, into those elementary schools and see what is lacking and what we can do about it,” Sirleaf stated.

Sirleaf, who was awarded the Nobel peace prize for her part in ending Liberia’s ruinous civil war in 2003, has been criticized for her failure to improve teaching since she took office in 2006.

Liberia’s education minister, Etmonia David-Tarpeh expressed shock that not a single candidate out of 25,000 students passed the admission test to the university, one of two state-run universities.

She told the BBC she would meet university officials to discuss the results.

‘I know there are a lot of weaknesses in the schools but for a whole group of people to take exams and every single one of them to fail, I have my doubts about that,’ she said.

The Liberian parliament’s education committee chairman Bill Tuaway, blamed poor teaching for the failure, the first time in Liberia’s history that no student has passed.

“This is a clear indication that the quality of education in Liberia is very bad. This shows how our teachers don’t teach well,” he told reporters in Monrovia.

Although Liberia has been peaceful for a decade now, its education system has not recovered from 14-year of civil war, which forced many professionals, including teachers, to flee the country.

The Deputy Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, Tanko Maikarfi has declared that Governor Danbaba Suntai is incapacitated and too I’ll to govern the state.

The Deputy Speaker explained that this informed the decision of the House to ask Suntai to return abroad for medical care and for the acting governor, Umar to continue in office.

Speaker of the House of Assembly had announced this afternoon a resolution by members that Governor Suntai return abroad to continue his medical treatment as he was not yet well enough to return to work.

The Speaker announced the decision at a press briefing after a meeting of members of the House who had visited the governor Wednesday night.

The Speaker also said that the House decided that the acting Governor, Garba Umar should continue in that capacity until a time when Suntai is fit enough to take over the affairs of the state.

In an exclusive telephone interview with www.icirnigeria.org after the press conference, Maikarfi said that 16 out of the 24 members members signed the resolution to ask the governor to go back to conclude his treatment.

“A total of 16 out of 24 members signed the resolution the our principal should finish his treatment and that the acting governor should continue to manage the affairs of the state,” he said.

Maikarfi who said he was speaking from the Government House where the acting governor operates from, disclosed that members of the House decided that Suntai was not well enough to govern the state after a visit to him on Wednesday night.

“I can tell you what they do not want us to say, that the governor is incapacitated. He cannot walk, he cannot stand and cannot address anyone for more than three minutes,” the Deputy Speaker stated.

He added that the House only performed it’s constitutional responsibility decision its decision had been transmitted to both Suntai and the acting governor

Reminded that the governor been shown in a video where he purported addressed the state,Maikarfi dismissed the video, maintaining that anyone who saw Suntai would have no doubt that he was too incapacitated to handle the affairs of a state.

A video Of Suntai swearing in a new cabinet was released on Wednesday. It shows the governor as very frail and in need of rest. He was barely able to speak audibly or shake hands with people.

Suntai also scarcely wore a smile throughout the video and looked pitifully tensed and uncomfortable.

The dissolution of the Taraba state cabinet was announced on Wednesday by the special adviser to the governor on media and publicity, Sylvanus Giwa.

Apart from sacking the cabinet, the governor also removed the secretary to the state government,SSG, and appointed Timothy Gibon Kataps in his stead.

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Similarly, the former Chief of Staff was replaced with Aminu Jika, who is handling the position for a second time.

Meanwhile, the acting governor has dismissed the dissolution of the cabinet insisting that he is still in charge of the state’s affairs and would continue to discharge his duty in that capacity until told otherwise by the State Assembly.

“I am waiting to hear from them. As I speak to you, if the assembly tells me to revert to the position of deputy, I will comply,” Umar said.

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the election of Olusegun Mimiko of the Labour Party,  LP, as governor of Ondo State.

A panel of seven, presided by Justice Sylvester Nguta, held that the appeal filed against Mimiko’sre-election was unsustainable.

Nguta held that the decision of the Akure division of the Appeal Court on the matter was apt, adding that the apex court would not upturn an appellate decision which was given according to evidence brought before it.

According to Nguta, the appellant did not sufficiently prove his allegations against the conduct of the election.

“The appellant failed to prove the allegations of substantial non-compliance of the 2012 election with Electoral Act 2010 as amended beyond reasonable doubt, ” the court ruled.

Nguta said the appellant also failed to provide cogent evidence of the voter register he claimed was manipulated just as he was unable to prove allegations of fraud, irregularities and violent disruption of the election.

“In the circumstance, the appeal fails and it is therefore dismissed; the decision of the AkureDivision of the Appeal court on the matter is thereby upheld,” he decided.

Rotimi Akeredolu, candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria,  ACN, had challenged the July 2 decision of the Appeal Court which upheld the October 20, 2012 re-election Mimiko of theLabour party,  LP.

Akeredolu claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission,  INEC conspired with Mimikoto illegally inject about 90,000 fake voters in the voter register used for the election.

He further alleged that the Electoral body failed to display the voter register before the election as mandated by the Electoral Act.

According to him, the election ought not to have been held as the processes leading to casting of votes were fraudulent.

The INEC returning officer and vice chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, AdebiyiDaramola, announced Mimiko to have won the election with 260,199 votes from the 18 Local Government Areas of the state,  while Akeredolu polled a total of 143,512 votes.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has suspended Andy Ubah, a serving senator and four other members of the faction of the party in Anambra State following their refusal to honour an invitation to appear before its National Working Committee, NWC, to defend their actions.

Others suspended members include factional chairman of the Anambra chapter of the party, EjikeOguebego, Chris Ubah, brother to the senator, Benji Udeozor, and Tonia Nwankwu.

A statement announcing their suspension which was signed by the party’s acting national secretary, Remi Akintoye, was addressed to all five men.

The decision of the party’s leadership to suspend them followed a meeting of the NWC where the events of the Anambra state primaries were reviewed.

Two separate elections were held in the state last Saturday – one by the Ken Emeakayi – faction and the other by the Oguebego-led faction, producing   Andy Ubah and Tony Nwoye as winners.

However, the party’s leadership has given recognition to Nwoye as the party’s flag bearer for the November 16 gubernatorial election in spite of a Federal High Court ruling to disregard the results of the elections until it determines a case filed before it.

The PDP’s acting national publicity secretary, Tony Okeke stated that the only governorship primary election recognised by the party was the primary election conducted by the electoral panel under the leadership of Ibrahim Shema, governor of Katsina State and  that holding any other election is a clear breach of the party’s constitution and would not be tolerated.

An invitation to the Ubah brothers and others to explain the holding of a parallel primary was ignored, leading to their suspension.

An Abuja Federal High Court will on September 18, 2013 deliver judgment in a case of N787 million fraud and subversion of due process filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, against former Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, BridgetSokan and six other officials of the agency.

At a sitting on Thursday, the trial judge, Justice Adamu Bello, apologised for the delay in delivering ruling on a no case submission brought by the accused persons.

He explained that his inability to deliver the ruling on November 6, 2012 was due to the overwhelming volume of cases before him.

“I have to seek your consent in summoning you all in spite of the break to re-adopt your addresses before I can proceed in delivering this ruling”, Bello said.

In re-adopting his response to all the written addresses brought by the accused persons, the prosecution counsel, Wahab Shittu urged the court to be guided by the fact that the only legal requirement for consideration at this stage was whether there are legally admissible evidence and material entitling the accused persons to respond to the accusation against them by way of defense.

He further prayed the court to call upon the accused persons to enter into their defense as there is legally admissible evidence for them to do so.

Earlier, the team of defense lawyers which include Caleb Muftwang, I.K. Ijeoma, R.Okotie Ebohand  Oluwole Aladoyin gave a brief of their written addresses as regarding their dates of submission and went on to re-adopt same in support of their no case submission.

One after another, they urged the court to discharge their clients as, according to them, there was no case against them.

The case which has lingered for five years has seen the EFCC calling up several witnesses including Ahmed Modibo Mohammed, former executive secretary of UBEC; Shamsudeen Umar, assistant manager, Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC; Usman Tahir who was part of the investigation team from EFCC and Ben Agweye, a forensic expert.

From their testimony, four of the six companies that bided for the supply of plastic chairs and desk to all junior secondary schools in the federation had no evidence of registration with the CAC.

They further stated that there was no competitive bidding process leading to the award of contract, neither was there any newspaper advertisement in line with extant procurement regulations.

It was also revealed by the evaluation report that over N787 million was paid as mobilization fee representing 85% of the contract sum as against the 25% in the contract agreement.

The other accused persons who were first arraigned on May 18, 2009 on a 63-count charge of fraudulent inducement, criminal conspiracy and subversion of due processes in the award of contract and other offences are Molkat Manasseh Mutfwang, Andrew Ekpunobi and Michael Aule.

Others are the companies used in perpetrating the fraud, including Intermarkets USA;Intermarkets Nigeria Limited and Alexander John Cozman, a foreign contractor.

The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has been shut following a violent protest that erupted Tuesday.

Speaker of the Assembly, Musa Mohammed who addressed journalists at a news conference said no further sitting would be held until the security of the lawmakers is guaranteed.

It was gathered that youths in their numbers stormed the Assembly complex, throwing stones and other items at the lawmakers after a session with the state governor, Tanko Al-Makura.

The youths alleged that the legislators were disturbing and harassing the governor for political reasons and asked the law makers to allow him a free hand in ruling the state.

Confusion reigned at the assembly complex as lawmakers took to their heels to escape the wrath of the youths who saw the invitation of the governor as part of a process of intimidating the governor.

The lawmakers had summoned the governor to explain his non-compliance and implementation of resolutions previously passed by the House.

Four items were slated to be addressed by Al Makura but only two could be dealt with before 6.00 pm when the rules of the House bars reaching resolutions on issue.

One of the resolutions Al Makura had failed deal with concerned the state university. The House had passed a resolution asking the governor to reinstate the management of the university under the leadership of Shamsudeen Amali which was sacked in February this year.

Another issue is the refusal of Al-Makura to recall all staff of the state owned transport agency,Nasarawa Express and that of the state owned newspaper company.

The lawmakers had also ordered that the immediate accounts of the state owned transport agency be frozen until the governor appears before them.

There was also the issue of the governor failing to sign into law some bills passed by the House.

Acting on Section 100, sub-section 4-5 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, the House majority vote overrode the governor with a two thirds majority and assented to two bill s- a bill to regulate the activities of the state traditional rulers and a bill to establish the state rehabilitation board.

The bills were earlier passed by the legislators but were not assented by the governor months after they were passed.

Also angered by the comment of the governor’s Special Adviser on Inter-Party Affairs, HajaraDanyaro, alleging that the lawmakers were given N300 million as leave grant, the lawmakers ordered that the governor’s aid should equally appear before the House to prove her claim.

Two days ago, the Nasarawa state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, alleged a planned attack on the state lawmakers for summoning the governor.

In a statement signed by the state chairman of the party, Yunana Iliya, the party said that members of the state ruling party, the All Progressive Congress, APC, had hired thugs to attack the assembly members and urged security operatives in the state to provide them with adequate security.