Delta LG polls: APC probes credibility of umpires

The All Progressive Congress has raised doubt on the credibility of members of the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission.
The party said the commission would not make any difference in a free, fair and credible election, describing the October 25 date for the local government poll in the state as a day for the defeat of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.
The arch-rival party alleged that members of the electoral commission were, before their inauguration, card carrying members of the ruling party.
While the party vowed to resist “any puerile statement” from the commission if it failed to deliver on credible elections, it urged the commission not to allow government functionaries to hijack the responsibility of monitoring the election.
The Publicity Secretary of the APC, Isaac Adaka Adakpo, in a statement made available The Eagle Online in Asaba on Tuesday, noted that the commission must shun partisanship.
Adakpo said: “There should be no dirty tricks, unholy alliance or conspiracy with the government party as if state electoral commission is set up to only ensures rolling victories for the ruling party. Ruling parties can lose elections, and PDP will lose to APC on October 24, 2014 because the people have decided to retrieve their common patrimony from the conquistadores.
“The elections must not be slow or late. The elections must be specifically free and fair not in general terms. We know that DSIEC members are card carrying PDP appointees but the best interest of democracy must prevail. Similarly we do not accept that ‘top government functionaries’ will vote and monitor elections in their LGAs. All top, medium and low government functionaries, and whatever, have one function that day, to vote only.
“The governor and his deputy, SSG, commissioners, LG chairmen etc are not election monitors and must not ‘monitor’ anything. The president and his vice do not ‘monitor’ the general elections.”
Adakpo said the APC was prepared for the election, disclosing that the party would hold its primaries on August 12, just as he informed that the purchase and return of nomination forms had been extended to August 8.