ASABA — MEMBERS of the Delta State House of Assembly yesterday failed to take a position on whether elections into the newly created wards in the state coming up on November 27 should hold or not.
The House had, after a rowdy session on Wednesday, promised to re-visit the controversial motion that called for the stopping of election in the new wards following the mounting protests and asked its committee earlier charged with the responsibility of investigating the matter to turn in its report by yesterday.
Vanguard's investigation revealed that majority of the members were favourably disposed to allowing the motion to scale through but the leadership of the house led by Mr. Daniel Igbrude and a few others “want the motion to die in order to offend the executive”, said an insider.
But it was a different ball game yesterday as the House, instead of carrying out its normal sitting, retired into caucus meeting which lasted for over four hours, only to emerge later at about 2pm to announce that it has postponed sitting till Tuesday. However speaking to reporters, the chairman of the House committee on Information and Establishments, Mr. Daniel Mayuku said “we have just adjourned the caucus meeting some minutes ago.
....We're not ready — Ijaw
ASABA — THE Ijaw of Warri South-West local government area of Delta state yesterday said they were not prepared for the November 27 bye-elections until a proper voters’ registration exercise is conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enable “us have a legitimate voters' registration exercise.”
The people had boycotted the voters' registration when it was conducted throughout the state in protest over the issue of number of wards, before the new wards were eventually created.
Addressing a press conference in Asaba yesterday, a group under the aegies of Federated Niger Delta Ijaw Communities (FNDIC) led by Comrade William Itima, Dennis Otuaro and Paul Bebenimibo stated that “we want INEC to prevail on DSIEC to stop the November 27 election first so that the present wards will be registered by INEC before election.
According to them “it is unconstitutional for DSIEC to conduct election without voters’ registration by INEC as contained in the Electoral Act, so that is why we are in Asaba. We have gone to DSIEC but they are still bent on holding the election.
“We have decided to cry out because this illegality will spell doom in Warri and the Ijaws in Warri will resist this illegality.
