PDP sweeps local polls in Delta

Agency ReporterJanuary 7, 2018

1 minute read

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State yesterday won in 23 Local Government Areas of the State in the just concluded local government elections.

Chairman, Delta Independent Election Commission, (DSIEC), Mike Ogbodu who declared the results in Asaba-the Delta State Capital, said elections were postponed in two local government areas including Ughelli North and Ethiope East L.G.A’s.

He said elections into these local government areas will be conducted on Tuesday 9^th 2018.

According to him 55 chairmanship candidates contested the local polls, while the party also won 425 councillorship seats.

Ogbodu said the All Progressive Congress (APC) won one councillorship seat in ward 2 in Aniocha North L.G.A.

He said 59 PDP councilors were returned unopposed across the State in the various electoral wards.

Ogbodu said elections did not hold in Otor-Owhe Community,Isoko North ,Ozoro following an injunction by a Delta State High Court .

Reacting, the Delta State All Progressive Congress (APC) condemned the local polls and called for a cancellation of the election.

The opposition party urged the local electoral body to organize a repeat election that will be transparent and peaceful.

APC Chairman, Mr. Jones Erue in a statement made available to The Nation said sensitive election materials were not delivered as expected to most of the polling units where the actual elections were due to take place;

According to him where materials were even delivered, they did not arrive on time as most were hijacked and re-directed along the way, adding that result sheets did not accompany the materials in most of the LGAs:

Erue said in the places where result sheets were produced, they were in sharp contrast with the samples that were presented to party officials during the DSIEC training exercise.

The APC chair said many Returning Officers were not at the Polling Units to conduct the elections nor to announce the outcome.

According to him, “a DSIEC Returning Officer at Ozoro in Isoko North Local Government Area was arrested at a Hotel Annex in Ozoro facilitating illegal thumb-printing of votes, and was handed over to the Nigeria Police at Ozoro.”