The Delta State Independent Electoral Commission has unveiled its plans for the forthcoming local government areas’ election in the state.
The commission said sufficient logistics and people of high ethical values have been garnered to deliver on a free, fair and credible election across the 25 Local Government Areas of the state.
The commission was inaugurated by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan on May 14, 2013.
Its chairman, Akpoyoma Moses Ogbe, who assured opposition parties that the “vote of the people must count”, decried a situation whereby people think that elections conducted by SIECs are won only by the ruling party.
Ogbe spoke at the close of a Two-Day Seminar, tagged: “Building Confidence in the Electoral System: The Task Before DSIEC,” held in Asaba, the state capital.
He disclosed that the commission had met with the Independent National Electoral Commission in June 2013 and presented two basic requests on successful conduct of the election.
He said: “I am happy that the first part of the request is being fulfilled today and I have no doubt that the second part would also be on the front burner of INEC’s priority and DSIEC will be consolidated to deepen democracy in the state.”
Ogbe said since the commission does not have the full complement of staff to conduct the election, the right caliber of ad-hoc staff required to have a decent election have been selected.
As according to him: “Since the issue of logistics has become a recurring decimal in the conduct of our elections, conscious of this fact, we are adopting strategies and measures to curb the menace.
“While the commission will deploy resources to sensitize the public, we also expect the political parties and civil society organizations to play important role in ensuring that the people are aware of their rights and privileges as we make preparations for the next elections.”
But the chairman of the state chapter of Labour Party, Comrade Emeka Nkwoala, and his counterpart in the Democratic Peoples Party, Chief Tony Ezeagwu, however, disagreed with Ogbe, wondering why Uduaghan failed to constitute the commission since 2011.
Ezeagwu said since the DPP, led by Chief Great Ogboru, won nine House of Assembly seats, one Senate seat and two Federal House of Representative seats during 2011 elections, nothing would prevent it from winning more than 15 of the 25 council areas if it was conducted after the 2011 election.
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