- Written by Ebenezer Adurokiya-Warri, Jacob Segun Olatunji, Olawale Rasheed, Dapo Falade -Abuja, Bola Badmus-Lagos
- Monday, 14 October 2013 01:39
The declaration was made on Saturday night at Federal Government College, Ughelli, Delta State, by the INEC’s Returning Officer, Professor Eric Arugbayi.
According to him, the PDP candidate polled 263, 024 to beat the candidates of All Progressives Congress (APC) and Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), who polled 29,075 and 29,055, respectively.
The candidates of the APC and DPP at the poll were Olorogun O’tega Emerhor and Chief Ede Dafinone.
The by-election was marked by voters apathy, late delivery of voting materials, late voting, abstinence over unpaid allowances from voting centres by corps members contracted by INEC, intimidation by security operatives, pockets of violence and ballot paper snatching.
While mocking the losers, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan said: “Some dey cry,” and the congregant chorused: “Some dey weep.” The congregation, in the seeming thanksgiving service, comprised the deputy governor, Professor Amos Utuama, the senator-elect, Aguariawodo, the state PDP chairman, Chief Peter Nwabaoshi, commissioners, ward leaders and other PDP stalwarts.
The ecstatic governor, who gave glory to God for the victory, attributed the landslide victory to the new-found unity of purpose in the state PDP members.
The senator-elect, Aguariawodo, while thanking the Urhobo nation and Governor Uduaghan for voting him into power, warned that the victory so sustained must not be lost, adding that whoever was not happy with his victory was not a true politician.
“We are grateful to you Gov Uduaghan. This unity in PDP today must not be lost. No party in the state today can counter us. Anybody not here today is not a true politician in Delta State. I pledge that I will serve with humility, my people to the best of my ability. I will do my best at all times in whatever capacity or area, I will serve my people.
Meanwhile, the candidate of the All Progressive Congress Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, at a press conference held at Cyprian Hotels, along NPA Expressway, has said that there was no election on Saturday in Delta Central Senatorial district.
According to him, what took place was a connivance among INEC, the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Police, the SSS and other security operatives as well as the Delta State government to give a concocted victory to the PDP candidate.
Also, All Progress Congress said cases of electoral malpractices and widespread violence that rocked Saturday’s bye-election in Delta Central Senatorial District were perpetrated by security agents and thugs hired by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The APC said this in a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, declaring that no voting took place in most of the eight local governments and the 85 wards in the district.
The party said this occurred because the PDP used armed security agents to chase away voters in opposition strongholds while thugs working under the cover of security personnel beat opposition party agents and seized voting materials in many areas.
It said the electoral officials were either overwhelmed by the intimidating presence of the security agents or were coerced into submission, describing the election as nothing but a sham.
“From what transpired in Delta on Saturday, it is clear that the PDP has resolved that there will not be a free and fair election anywhere across the country henceforth,” the APC said.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) on Sunday blasted the All Progressives Congress, for “not being bold and sportsman like enough to accept its straight defeat in the Delta Central senatorial bye-election in Delta State” won by PDP’s candidate, Chief Agwariavwodo.
In a statement signed in Abuja on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary,Chief Olisa Metuh and made available to news men the party also described the APC as “a party borne out of violence and religious extremism; a serial bad loser which always finds it difficult to accept that it does not have the support of Nigerians.”
The statement said that in protesting against an election where it lost woefully, the APC was merely “rehearsing its excuses ahead of the 2015 general election when it would suffer the ultimate humiliation from Nigerians.”
According to the Party,“For the avoidance of doubt, the Delta Central senatorial bye-election was free, fair and credible and the people freely gave their mandate to the PDP candidate, Chief Emmanuel Agwariavwodo. The statement reads,“In protesting the outcome of an election where it did not get up to 10 per cent of the total votes cast, the APC has shown that it remains a party borne out of violence, religious extremism and desperation; a party of bigots which fails to understand that it does not have the support of Nigerians, hence, its inability to win elections due to its undemocratic and do-or-die posture”.
In a related development, the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) as well as the Labour Party (LP), in Delta State have both rejected last Saturday’s by-election to the Delta Central Senatorial district seat, saying it was a complete sham.
The parties have also called for cancellation and a fresh election to the seat.
The DPP candidate made this call at a press conference held on Sunday in Sapele, Delta State.
The DPP candidate, Chief Ede Dafinone came third behind the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates, polling 29,055 votes.
DPP accused the PDP of conniving with security operatives and INEC officials to rob the Urhobo people of their right to elect their senator to represent them at the Senate in Abuja.
According to Dafinone, INEC, PDP, NYSC adhoc members all came together to accord victory to the PDP candidate, Chief Emmanuel Aguariavwodo, alleging that security forces turned a blind eye to open violence and brutality meted out on members of the DPP during the exercise.
Ekweremadu congratulates him
Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has described the outcome of Saturday’s by-election in Delta Central Senatorial District, as a demonstration of the potency of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
This was as he also congratulated Chief Emmanuel Aguariavwodo, the PDP candidate in the election, on his victory in the by-election.
Describing the senator-elect as a ‘man of the people, he said the outcome of the election was a demonstration of the potency of PDP as a party as well as the confidence people have in the candidate.
“This is a great demonstration of the potency of the PDP and the immense confidence reposed in Chief Aguariavwodo by his people and the quality of representation he is bringing to the Senate”, he said.
The by-election was conducted to fill the vacancy created in the Senate by the sudden death of the late Senator Pius Ewherido, who until his death on May 30, represented Delta Central Senatorial District.
Ewherido was elected in April 2011 on the platform of Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) and he was the only successful candidate in a state dominated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Last February, he sponsored a bill on Corporate Manslaughter, which scaled through the second reading at the Senate and was still at the committee level at the time of his demise.
...As Adeyeye hails PDP victory
Afenifere chieftain and Peoples Dmocratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Prince Dayo Adeyeye has hailed the party’s victory in the Saturday’s Delta Central Senatorial District bye-election, describing it as “a pointer to what to befall the All Progressives Congress (APC) in future elections.
Reacting to the election results in a statement issued by the Director General of his campaign organisation, Prince Adedayo Adeyeye Movement (PAAM), Bisi Kolawole, the governorship aspirant congratulated President Goodluck Jonathan, the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan and the Senator-elect, Chief Emmanuel Aguariavwodo ,for the well deserved victory.
Adeyeye, who said the PDP remained the only party in Nigeria, added that; “By the result of this election in which PDP had 263,024 votes as against the combined votes of less than 60,000 polled by the APC and the Democratic Peoples’ Party (DPP), Nigerians must have seen once again that the APC merger party is just on the pages of newspapers.”
“This electoral victory has once again confirmed the supremacy of our great party, the PDP.
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