• Corps Members Protest Non-payment Of Allowances
REPORTS Saturday night, say the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate, Emmanuel Agwariavwodo, has won five of the eight local councils in the Delta Central Senatorial bye-election held Saturday.
.Characterised by low voter turn out in Ethiopie East and Sapele Local Councils, the Delta Central Senatorial bye-election was held peacefully.
At Oghara, the hometown of former Governor James Ibori, accreditation started early.
In the two council headquarters of Oghara and Sapele, accreditation started at about 10am while voting started shortly after.
The Delta State Commissioner for Housing, Chief Paulinus Akpeki, said that he was very satisfied with the conduct of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Akpeki expressed opinion that his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will triumph in the election.
Voting started at about 12pm and was peaceful and orderly, devoid of the disorderliness, which usually characterises elections in the country.
The Delta State DPP Chairman, Chief Tony Ezeagwu, however, rejected the election insisting it was deeply flawed. Even before the official announcement of the result, Ezeagwu said that he would reject the Commission announces.
Still fuming, the DPP Chairman explained that at Agbarho, Ughelli North Council, election materials did not arrive until 2pm, wondering what kind of result would come out of such an arrangement.
As for Okpe Local Council, materials did not arrive until 1pm, and even then, armed soldiers who were deployed to keep guard did not allow party agents to go with the materials on the ground that there was restriction of movement.
He said: ‘’INEC deliberately delayed materials so that our agents could not go with the officials. In places where there were materials, there were no officials from the Commission while in places where there were no materials, there were officials. As a result of that, we in the DPP are rejecting whatever result INEC will announce. The election is a sham.”
But speaking with reporters shortly after casting his vote at his hometown of Olomu, Ughelli South Local Council, the PDP candidate, Chief Emmanuel Aguariavwodo, vehemently disagreed, saying that he is satisfied with the conduct of the election.
Aguariavwodo said that his party was ready for the election and had campaigned vigorously.
He said: “All the aspirants worked with me. We campaigned throughout the length and breadth of the district. The party is the one to beat in the state.”
For Emerhor Otega, the APC candidate, he was not going to comment on the conduct of the election until he gets a general report on the conduct.
The All Progressive Alliance (APC) senatorial candidate in the Delta Central bye-election, Chief Otega Omerho, alleged rigging in Aladja wards by the PDP, even though the election was generally peaceful across the eight local councils that make up the district.
Journalists were trying to interview Emerho at his country home at Evwreni, Ughelli North, when his phone rang. As he picked the call, his disposition immediately changed. He quickly excused himself to a room to answer the call.
He emerged later and broke the news that APC agents at Aladja called to say that illicit “thumb printing” was going on in secret locations in Aladja, allegedly by the ruling PDP. They also alleged that soldiers barricaded many roads to enable the thumb printing go on unmolested.
However, the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Prof Amos Utuama, while casting his vote at Jeremi Ward 2 denied the allegation saying that it has become commonplace in Nigeria for losers to find excuses.
Some NYSC corps members who were supposed to man polling units protested non-payment of their allowances and were nonchalant about their electoral duties. This led to delays in several the councils. The development was corroborated by the Deputy Governor who said the payment issues were resolved and that the corps members went back to duty.
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