The Delta State Independent Electoral Commission has fixed October 25 this year for the long waited Local Government Areas’ election in the state.
The Commission’s Chairman, Akpoyoma Moses Ogbe, has consistently assured opposition parties in the state that “vote of the people must count”, even as he decried a situation whereby people think that elections conducted by SIECs are won only by the ruling party.
Meanwhile, the chairmen of the state chapter of Kowa Party, Hon. Jude H. Eze; his counterparts in the Advanced Congress for Democrats, Comrade Aduku E. Kelvin; and the United Peoples Party, Johnfreeman Chiadikabia, hailed the release of the time table for the election.
They said if only DSIEC would keep to the time table, keep up to the challenge, make the election free and fair, that way it would not create rivalry between government and the opposition parties.
The commission, which was inaugurated May last year, was empowered by law to organize, conduct and supervise local government elections into chairmanship and councillorship positions in the 25 LGs in the state.
At an enlarged meeting with leaders of political parties in the state in Asaba on Tuesday, Ogbe maintained that the date was painstakingly chosen after wide consultations and having regard to other variables before the commission.
He said it would be utterly counterproductive for the commission to conduct the election at the peak of the rainy season, insisting that the commission would need to procure and produce all materials in good time before elections could be held, wait for the Independent National Electoral Commission to compile the register of voters and distribute permanent voter’s cards and pre-CVR display of voters.
The chairman said since the exercise was embarked upon by INEC, it would impact on the operations of DSIEC and considering the need for those who are up to voting age at the time of the election to exercise their rights.
He said the commission has decided to use the revised register of voters for the conduct of the local government elections.
“It will also be necessary to state that the mandatory voter education programme that will help members of the commission to interface with its stakeholders at the grassroots will also be undertaken before the election. Based on these afore-mentioned reasons, it is obvious that the LGs election cannot be conducted earlier than the date being proposed by this commission,” he said.
Our earlier story: Election into the council of the local government areas of Delta State has been fixed for October 25, 2014.
The Chairman of the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission, Akpoyoma Moses Ogbe, disclosed this in Asaba, the Delta State capital.
Some political parties had last week urged the state Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, to conduct the poll.