Ikimi: DSIEC Can’t Conduct Free, Fair, Credible LGA Elections

By John Tega
A rights lawyer in Delta State, Barr. Oghenejabor Ikimi, has said that “the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) do not possess the capacity and the temerity to conduct a free, fair and credible elections in the 25 Local Government Council Areas in the State come March, 2021,” saying that the “electoral body is a puppet of the State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa.”

Ikimi, said this in a press statement made available to Oasis Magazine (OM).

Ikimi, who renewed his earlier call for the scrapping of all States Independent Electoral Commission nationwide, added: “I am not oblivious of the fact that since its inception, the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) like her counterparts in other States of the Federation, grassroot democracy in all our Council Areas have been totally vanquished owing to the total absence of a resemblance of a credible election in the said Council Areas.”

He said: “I make bold to say that in virtually all the Council Areas of the State, election materials and electoral officials are not seen on duty on Election Day, but at the end results are allocated and announced by DSIEC officials in favour of candidates of the ruling party in the State contrary to our electoral laws,” saying that this has been “the tradition of DSIEC since its inception as there are obvious pointers to the fact that the March, 2021 would not be an exception.”

ALSO READ: Okowa Inaugurates Panel Of Inquiry Into Oleh, Ozoro Land Dispute

He continued: “I am at a loss as to why the toothless Delta State House of Assembly voted a whopping sum of N1.140 billion naira for the conduct of the above shambolic exercise billed for March, 2021 when the State is owing her retired workers a backlog of pension since 2015 running into billions of naira.

“The recent laughable lopsided creation of State Wards by DSIEC under the tacit supervision of the State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa have been greeted with unrest in some Council Areas in Delta State, while in a recent development, the Delta State Governor appealed to Nigerians to resort to prayers in order for Nigeria to surmount her numerous challenges.”

According to him, the “challenges and unrest being created by DSIEC and the Delta State Government ahead of the forthcoming Local Government Polls in the State can only be surmounted by the State Government through equity, justice, good conscience and good governance and not by the prayers of the citizenry.”