Just In : Governor seals Hotel where INEC issued Certificates of Return to winners of elections
Days after it was used by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue certificates of return to elected candidates in Enugu State, the Hall of Bon Platinum hotel has been sealed by the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA).
It will be recalled that INEC used that hall to issue certificates of return to the Enugu state Governor-Elect, Peter Mbah; his deputy, Ifeanyi Ossai and 17 elected House of Assembly members-elect in the state.
But operatives from ECTDA has sealed off the hall following an alleged structural defect, which the agency said, caused a big bang during the issuance of the certificates of return to the election winners on Thursday.
Speaking on why the hall was closed down, the Chairman of ECTDA, Dr. Josef Onoh said the alleged structural defect also caused pandemonium during the issuance of certificate programme and made the recipients, the commissioner of police, the INEC staff and numerous others to scamper for safety.
Onoh said the agency, during its fact-finding mission to the hotel after the incident, discovered that the building had no approval plan, together with another upcoming structure in the hotel.
He stressed that despite the discovery, the management of the hotel did not allow the agency to conclude its investigation and was bent on holding another function on the distressed hall by Saturday without resolving the problem with the building.
Onoh said: “The hall doesn’t have an approval but the hotel has and there was a structural band on the hall yesterday (Thursday) when INEC was issuing certificates of return which made everybody to scatter because they thought the building was going to collapse.
“So we went there today for inspection and we are now sealing the place, including another building being developed at the back. The proprietor of the hotel is not ready to exercise patience for the Nigeria Society of Engineers to come for their own inspection, but is asking us to allow her host a wedding there tomorrow and I wonder how much she collected for the event that the venue cannot be relocated. So we have sealed the hall.”
