Delta senatorial race: Arms build-up in flag bearer’s domain

There is apprehension in Orogun, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State following the alarm raised by the flag bearer of the All Progressives Grand Alliance for the senatorial bye-election in Delta Central Senatorial District, Olorogun Omoru David.
The election was shifted from Saturday to October 12, for technical reasons, by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Besides, close to three million multiple registrations are already uncovered by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The bye-election is to fill the vacuum created after the sudden death of Senator Pius Ewherido of the Democratic Peoples Party.
David raised the alarm during INEC’s stakeholders’ meeting, which was attended by the candidates, chairmen, secretaries and supporters of the nine political parties, including the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, APGA, the newly registered All Progressives Congress, DPP, Kowa Party, Advance Congress of Democrats and Labour Party.
But the state Commissioner of Police, Ayo Ikechukwu Aduba, flanked by INEC’s National Commissioner to the state, Dr. Ishmael Igbani; the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dame Gesila E.O. Khan; and other security chiefs, swiftly reacted at the stakeholders’ meeting held in Asaba, the state capital, that men of the command were battle ready for anyone who foments trouble.
Igbani also revealed how miscreants have schemed to falsify the commission’s voters’ register when a total of 2.9 million multiple registrations were uncovered before a total of 819,118 valid registered voters were arrived at.
According to him, a total of 2,782 voting points have been created for the exercise in the 85 registration areas across the eight local government areas under the senatorial district.
He explained that the election would be manned by 4,224 election officials even as the Electronic Voters Register and 19 addendum registers have been printed for the election.
Igbani said: “The above figure is made up of 1,263 Presiding Officers, 2,782 Assistant Presiding Officers, all from the NYSC, 85 Supervising Presiding Officers from Federal Agencies, 85 Registration Area Collation Officers, eight LGA Collation Officers and one Senatorial District Returning Officer from Federal Universities.”
He assured voters that the incidence of late arrival of electoral materials and personnel on Election Day had been taken care of by establishing Registration Area Camps as well as 30 Registration Area clusters in the eight LGAs of the district.
Igbani hinted that all security agencies under the platform of Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, chaired by the state Commissioner of Police, have been fully mobilized.
He warned troublemakers to steer clear of all voting areas, maintaining that “any person caught violating the electoral laws will be made to answer to his/her misdeeds according to law.”
Corroborating Igbani, Aduba said: “The killing or maiming of political opponents or the destruction of property or intimidation of voters on Election Day should be totally avoided and discouraged at all cost.
“I will not allow any gladiator in this election to truncate the prevailing peace in the state.
“I am 100 per cent prepared.
“I have declared general manhunt.
“Woe betides any security agent that will compromise.
“So, gladiators, please control your men, because if they mention your names, we will go after you.”
Aduba said the command has received enough security reports that some persons are set to cause havoc on the day of the election, adding: “I am glad to tell you that we are battle ready.
“I am not issuing threats but I can assure you that miscreants will be aggressively dealt with.”