DELTA LG POLLS: PDP sweeps 22 LGs, leaves councilorship for Kachikwu

The Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) has declared the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state as winner of all 22 chairmanship seats so far announced.

The party also won all councilorship positions, except for Ward 2, Aniocha North local government area, which the All Progressives Congress (APC) clinched.

The Ward 2, Aniocha North LGA is the base of the minister of state for petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu.
DSIEC Chairman, Chief Mike Ogbodu who announced the results, also said fresh election would be held in Ughelli North and Ethiope East on Tuesday January 9, while the result of Ika South was ready but could not be announced because the returning officer was unavailable as a result of ill health.

According to Ogbodu, PDP won 424 councillorship seats contested for while the APC won one. He added that 57 PDP councilorship candidates were returned unopposed.

Ogbodu said the result of one ward in Isoko North is being withheld as result of a court injunction.

Meanwhile, APC leaders in the state have described the exercise as a charade and called for the cancellation of the elections because it was marred by irregularities, and violence.

The APC leaders including Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Power Aginighan, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh and others, in separate reactions, blamed the state’ governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa for allegedly instigating the irregularities and compromising the exercise.

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Addressing journalists at his country home at Evwerni, Ughelli North LGA, the 2015 governorship candidate of the APC in the state, Olorogun Emerhor, called for the cancellation of the exercise as it has been compromised.

According to Emerhor “Two nights ago we had intelligence, particularly last night, that the sensitive materials would not be available for today (Saturday) election. In fact, we are aware from intelligence that they had started writing results for an election that had not been conducted. But as a responsible party, we decided to wait till today (Saturday) to find out.

“And as it happened in Ughelli North, that was how it happened in Ughelli South, Uvwie, Udu and in the whole of the Central; no sensitive material arrived at any place. Delta North the same thing happened. Even in Okowa’s local government, in Delta North, no sensitive material was made available.

“I can confidently tell you that the strategy of the Okowa government in this election was not to conduct an election. It was clear that they were afraid of being defeated in the field and therefore decided to take away the sensitive materials.’’

Reacting to the calls for cancellation, the ruling PDP aim the state said it won the elections freely, and that there was no basis for such calls.

The party in a statement signed by the State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Ifeanyi Michael Osuoza, stated that, the allegations by APC are nothing more than the typical whining and bellyaching always expected from sore losers, as a diversionary ploy and smokescreen to cover up their obviously pathetic lack of preparation for the Delta Council polls.

“We are extremely disappointed but not particularly surprised with the comments of Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, Delta APC leader and former governorship candidate, made from the cozy comforts and surrounding of his country home, who Iike an old broken record, replaying with annoying repetition, called for the cancellation of the Delta State Local Government election, on outdated and less edifying excuses and allegations, unbecoming of a politician of his status and arguably still nurturing experience.

“Even more ridiculous were the excuses given by Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, the self acclaimed new Media Director of the APC who, not knowing who else to blame for his colossal failure in his constituency, accused a major GSM Service Provider of colluding with the PDP, by ‘deliberately jamming the network’ to prevent people from making calls, when they were supposed to be lining up for accreditation and voting. What a hogwash indeed.

“But more farcical are the allegations made by the APC chairman in Ughelli North, Olorogun Felix Ekure and the APC chairmanship candidate in Uvwie, Engr. Ufoma Okenini who claimed amongst other brazen falsehoods that, “the APC in Delta State and Ughelli North in particular decided to prepare for and participate in the election….We campaigned throughout the nooks and crannies of the entire LGA and our supporters were fully mobilized and ready for the election. We were determined to send a clear signal to the PDP that they have no place in Ughelli North”…

“Sadly, despite the apparent falsehood, they did not even campaign at all, except for some noisy social media propaganda, their ‘determination to send a clear signal to the PDP’, was to manifest in what we have now come to realize was the deliberate perpetration of arson, by burning down the DSIEC office in the LGA and destroying DSIEC properties, with the heinous intent to cripple the electoral process and deny the good people of Ughelli North from exercising their franchise as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and electing their Chairman and Councillors at the grassroots administrative level, when they realized that the PDP was set to sweep the stakes in Ughelli North, in a free and fair election”, the party stated.

 

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