PRESS STATEMENT: Aniagwu’s Claim Proves PDP’s Interference In Delta’s Governorship Poll –APC

The Commissioner for Information in Delta State, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, earlier in the afternoon of Sunday, March 19, 2023, claimed that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won 23 of the 25 local government areas in the state.

Speaking on Arise TV, he unwittingly proved what the people of Delta State had already known, that PDP acted with unbridled impunity in Saturday’s gubernatorial election and distorted the people’s will.

At the time Aniagwu made the claim, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had announced the results of only five local government areas with those of 20 being awaited.

In effect, the Delta State PDP had actually manipulated the election for it to make such a claim. At the time INEC began announcing the results, that of Udu LGA had already been released with APC winning with a wide margin.

Aniagwu laced his claim with wild allegations that the APC’s flagbearer, was delaying the results from some local government areas. How can that be?
Nothing can be further from the truth. It is a classical case of falsely labelling an opponent with the crimes already committed by the accusers, the PDP.

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We are aware that Dr. Festus Okubor, Director of Strategy in the Okowa Government, was inside the INEC office without a valid reason other than to interfer and rig results in favour of the PDP. When confronted by the army commander, he continued to introduce himself as the brother-in-law of Chief of Defense Staff, on whose authority he claimed he was at the collation Centre but was asked to go out by a gallant Army Commander who was in the INEC premises on his official duty. Similarly, Mr Hilary Ibegbulem, Principal Staff Officer, was also walked out of the coalition centre. We also know that in Ika North East, BVAS boxes were found without BVAS machines inside. We are also aware that Ifeanyi Eboigbe, Okowa’s Director of Protocol, carted away BVAS machines from Ika South and returned two hours later with them. Even Mr . Charles Aniagwu Commissioner of Information was stopped with an INEC official in his car. When confronted by security agents, he tried to lie that he was helping the official do an errand. The Army returned with both of them to the INEC office and found out the staff was sent nowhere but only sneaking the said official to where they were writing the election results. It will seem, and as is clear, Governor Okowa had moved his office into INEC in order to manipulate the results of Ika North East and South in favour of the PDP. This would explain their confidence in saying they had won an election that was still in process

Aniagwu’s claim on PDP’s electoral success at a time INEC is yet to announce the results not only gives insight into the party’s underhand deals to manipulate the results but is clearly in breach of the Electoral Act.

In the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections, PDP lost woefully with a score that reflected Deltans’ true disdain and dissatisfaction with the disastrous governance of the party. The party embarked on flagrant vote buying and voter suppression to illegally retain its hold on the Government House using Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s stooge, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori.

The attention of INEC and the security agencies is hereby drawn to the criminal acts of PDP, contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act as amended. We urge INEC to critically evaluate the polls and unravel the numerous incidents of vote buying, voter suppression, and outright manipulation of the results.

To the good people of Delta State who are feeling distraught by the manipulation of their votes by the PDP, we urge them to remain calm and peaceful as the leadership of the APC is alert to the situation and will ensure that their votes truly count.

Ima Niboro,
Director, Communications and Media Strategy,
Delta APC Campaign Council.
Member, APC Presidential Campaign Council
March 19,2023.