Speculations by pundits that the Delta Central Senatorial District bye-election may be marred by violence have been proven wrong.
The security put in place was tight.
Soldiers were on duty during the election. Riot policemen manned the major roads, restraining people from moving from one polling unit to another.
The exercise passed off peacefully although there was low turnout in most of the polling units The Eagle Online visited.
The fear that a particular political party had plotted to derail the voting exercise and cause bloodshed during the election also did not materialize.
The fear heightened when the Governor of the state, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, raised the alarm over possible violence and thereafter read the riot act.
The poll was to elect the member representing Delta Central Senatorial District in the Red Chambers of the National Assembly after the death of Senator Pius Ewherido.
Before his death on June 30, Ewherido was the only senator in the Upper House on the ticket of the Democratic Peoples Party, sponsored and financed by Chief Great Ogboru.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has since voting exercise ended, swung into collation of results.
The winner of the poll will only spend one and half years before the 2015 general election.
After the collation, one of the candidates – the ex-NDDC boss, Hon. Emmanuel Aguariavwodo (PDP); Olorogun Otega Emerhor (APC): Chief Ede Dafinone (DPP); and a seasoned journalist, Olorogun David Omoru (APGA) will emerge the winner in the keenly contested election.
The security men were deployed to the polling stations to ensure that voting passed off smoothly without much ado even though few of the eligible voters turned out.
The army mounted heavy barricade on major roads, particularly the Warri/Benin Expressway, following the fear of influx of people from neighbouring Edo State, which is the stronghold of All Progressive Council.
There were complaints regarding the late arrival of electoral materials and personnel in some areas, even as accreditation of voters started 8am while voting was expected to commenced by 12pm.
There were allegations of thumb-printing of voters’ cards in the homes of some political leaders in parts of the district around 10:45am.
Party agents alleged voting was done overnight in the village of a particular candidate.
This couldn’t be independently verified.
It was learnt that a ballot box meant for a unit in Agbarho, Ughelli North Local Government Area, was allegedly taken outside the unit.
As at the time of filing this, collation had already commenced in some centres.
In Uvwie Local Government Area, Ward 3, Unit 8, where the votes were counted, PDP had 48 votes, APC12 and DPP 9.
Two votes were voided.
The Delta State Deputy Governor, Prof. Amos Utuama, who cast his vote in his Otu-Jeremi country home at about 1:05pm, expressed satisfaction with the election.
Utuama described the delay in the distribution of materials as “typically Nigerian factor”, where take-offs are never smooth but the process ends well at last.
This came as the delay in the distribution of materials was attributed to earlier protest by some National Youth Service Corps members engaged by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The corps members said they had not been paid their feeding allowances.
Utuama however dismissed allegation that some PDP faithfuls were thumb printing in Aladja area.
He said it was not true.
He said: “The report I have received from other units in Delta Central is that the exercise is going on fine.
“The allegations are not facts.
“They are not true but in any case we Nigerians have an attitude.
“When we are losing they find an excuse.”
The member representing Ughelli South in the state House of Assembly, Hon. Talib Tebite, described the exercise as a successful one for INEC although he complained of late arrival of voting materials to his polling unit in Ughelli South LGA.
Orogun, in Ughelli North Local Government Area, earlier placed on red alert, was peaceful.
There was a high turnout of voters who queued up to cast their votes amid tight security in the area.
INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Delta State, Dame Gesila Khan, gave the total number of registered voters for the eight councils where the election was held as 843,411.
In Ethiope West Council, there are 84,262 registered voters while for Okpe Local Government Area, there are 79,436 voters.
Khan said that 90,559 people registered to vote in Ethiope East, the home of Ogboru.
In Udu council, there are100,656 voters while147, 261 registered in Uvwie Council.
Ugheli South, the home of Ewherido, has 94,811 voters even as Ugheli South, the home of Emerhor, has 151,425.
As at the time of filling this report, INEC was still collating the results but the DPP’s Dafinone had started alleging rigging.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
