Ethiope East Botched Council Polls: Light Overcame Darkness This Time— Delta State APGA Leader

Leader of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in Delta State, Olorogun (Dr.) Ovie Ughwanogho, has described the resistance of the electorates against the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission, DSIEC, over refusal to distribute electoral materials, which resulted in the postponement of the polls in Ethiope East Local Government Area, as a situation of “light overcoming darkness.”
Speaking to pressmen at his Eku residence after the botched election on Saturday, Ughwanogho added that “unlike previous times, like five years ago, the people of Ethiope East this time stood their ground, and prevented fake sensitive electoral materials to be distributed, as Ethiope Easterners prevented the materials from been hijacked like in time past for results to be written against the wish of the people.”
“I saw elected leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at federal and state levels fighting like children and beating ordinary Nigerians that were trying to protect the democratic process, while to my amazement, I saw some persons cheering Chief Faith Majemite, the immediate past Chairman of the local government and the candidate for PDP, calling her Oniemor, despite seeing the confusion that was on ground,” he said.
He added: “The people came prepared for election, but DSIEC in collaboration with the ruling party truncated the process. What was DSIEC afraid of that made them refuse to release the materials for voting?”
He said: “There was no election in Ethiope East because they could not stage-manage the process like other times,” adding that the DSIEC official also came in late.
He appealed to Deltans to continue to resist every form of evil in the state.
He continued: “A gang of persons have hijacked the state and they will do anything illegal to continue to perpetuate themselves in power.”
Responding to a question on whether INEC taking over state and local government elections was the way out of rigging and violence during elections, he opined that no major difference would occur.
“I have been in opposition since 2003 and I have seen what INEC has done in this state.”
According to him, it is only the people that can rise up and defend the process just like they humiliated DSIEC today. The people should know that ultimate power belongs to them.
Chairman of the Commission, Chief Mike Ogbodu while announcing the results for other local government areas in the state, said that the election for Ethiope East and Ughelli North local government areas have been rescheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday 6th, January, 2018.
Results so far announced declared PDP clinching the 23 Chairmanship seats of the said local government areas.
Ogbodu also said 57 PDP Councillorship Candidates were returned unopposed, adding that PDP won 424 Councillorship seats contested for while the APC won one seat in Aniocha North Local Government Area.
Mr. Ogbodu added that the result of one Ward in Isoko North Local Government Area is being withheld as a result of court injunction.
Breakdown of the Chairmanship results as announced by the Returning Officers are as follows:

Aniocha North: PDP – 25,272; APC -2798

Aniocha South: PDP -26,943; APC -11,250

Bomadi: PDP -74,857; APC -1079

Burutu: PDP -83,897; APC -2,791

Ethiope West: PDP -46,377; APC -4,403

Ika North East: PDP -71,124; APC -2,838

Isoko North: PDP -78,952; APC -5,394

Isoko South: PDP -79,784; APC -4,372

Ndokwa East: PDP -44,195; APC -126

Ndokwa West: PDP -67,092; APC -2,107

Okpe: PDP -67,525; APC -5,440

Ika South: PDP- 33445; APC- 8466

Oshimili North: PDP -47,306; APC -7,229

Oshimili South: PDP -46,183; APC -1,898

Patani: PDP -35,752; APC -277

Sapele: PDP -77,090; APC -4,533

Udu: PDP -62,668; APC -5,491

Ughelli South: PDP -46,941; APC -2,878

Ukwuani: PDP -32,858; APC -5,611

Uvwie: PDP -103,308; APC -593

Warri North: PDP -48,074; APC -6,231

Warri South: PDP -92,564; APC -2,806

Warri South West: PDP -107,973; APC -1,751

By Dafe Rukevwe