Council Polls: DSIEC Takes Side With PDP, Says APC Was Not On Ground

The Delta state Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) has taken side with ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), claiming that All Progressive Congress (APC) was not prepare for local government election hence it was defeated.

BigPen Online had reported that State Chairman of the APC, Jones Erue, described the conduct and subsequent results as a total sham, alleging that the elections were conducted without substantial compliance with relevant laws.

He said: “This election was conducted in substantial non-compliance with the provisions set out in the DSIEC Law 2017 for the following reasons.

“Sensitive election materials were not delivered as expected to most of the polling units where the actual elections were due to take place.

“Where materials were even delivered, they did not arrive on time as most were hijacked and re-directed along the way.

“It was observed upon a close examination that the result sheets did not accompany the materials in most of the local government areas.

“Even where result sheets were produced, they were in sharp contrast with the samples that were presented to our party officials during the DSIEC training exercise, and so were fake.

But DSIEC Director of Public Affairs and Communication, Arubi Orugboh, dismissed the accusations of the APC.

Orugboh described the party’s observations as blatant lies designed to discredit the image of the commission.

He said: “These cries and allegations are usually normal in an election, especially when a party has lost out woefully. It is not a new thing.

“If you followed this election very well, you will agree with me that the APC is not on ground even during the campaign before the elections.

“The allegations that DSIEC colluded with the PDP to divert electoral materials are entirely false and can never hold water.

“Non-sensitive materials were dully dispatched to every ward across the state before the election day; so also, on election day, we delivered sensitive materials accompanied by security agents.”

Orugboh enjoined the people of the state to disregard the cries and allegations of the APC and accept the result of the election as the wish of the electorate of the state.

BigPen Online recalled that APC in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Engr. Leonard Obibi on Tuesday, last week had raised grave concerns about whether the electoral umpire would serve as an unbiased referee, giving the fact that the current DSIEC Board that would oversee the elections was surreptitiously appointed using the guise of amending the DSIEC law.

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