APC calls for cancellation of Delta LG polls

WARRI—ALL Progressives Congress, APC, in Delta State,
has called for the cancellation of Saturday’s council polls in
the state, claiming it was marred by violence, and
irregularities.
This came as Executive Director, Centre for the Vulnerable
and Underprivileged, CENTREP, Delta State, Mr.
Oghenejabor Ikimi, described the polls as a charade.
APC, in a statement by its State Publicity Secretary, Mr.
Issac Adagbo in Warri yesterday, accused the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, of colluding with the police and
other security agents alongside Delta State Independent
Electoral Commission,DSIEC, to intimidate the people.
APC said: “The run of the elections was against the
promises on honour and personal integrity of the DSIEC
Chairman, Mr. Moses Ogbe, who was at one time, Resident
Electoral Commissioner in Lagos State. The PDP, fearing
defeat, went on rampage with thugs, burning, maiming and
killing. Over 36 cars were destroyed in Koko by the PDP
army of violence. Many other properties were destroyed. In
Isoko South and North, the violence unleashed saw many
people hospitalized. The trail of sorrow, tears and
bloodshed left behind by the PDP in the local government
elections cannot be said to be in compliance with the law or
in accord with the assurances given by the DSIEC Chairman
that the mantra of one-man-one-vote would be upheld.
APC therefore calls for the cancellation of the entire exercise
at once.”
Corroborating the APC, Ikimi, in a statement, said: “The
just concluded local government elections in Delta State
were shambolic, to say the least, as the entire process was
chaotic, disorganized and mismanaged. Elections did not
hold in many polling units covered by our coordinators,
particularly in Uvwie, Ndokwa East and Ndokwa West Local
Government Areas. However, in polling units where a
resemblance of an election took place, same began late and
in most cases, it was chaotic. In Ovwian, Ovwor-Olomu,
Orhuwhorun, Kolokolo areas to mention a few, the exercise
was characterized with thuggery and violence. The entire
process was not a credible exercise.
“The foregoing no doubt corroborates our numerous calls
for the scrapping of all the 36 States Independent Electoral
Commissions as they are truly not independent, hence we
welcome the move by the National Assembly to amend the
1999 Constitution to pave way for the Independent National
Electoral Commission to conduct all future local
government elections nationwide.”