Delta Central By-election: Emerhor Calls for Cancellation of Result

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Delta Central senatorial district by-election, Chief O’tega Emerhor, has called for the cancellation of the poll held on October 12.

Emerhor said he would explore all legal avenues open to him to ensure that justice is done to ensure that the process is repeated.

But the governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Udiughan has urged the opposition group to accept defeat at the poll.

Emerhor, however, argued that no election known to electoral laws took place in the Delta Central, adding that what took place was a militarised operation calculated to deprive voters of their right to vote and to provide the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) the opportunity to select a senator.

The APC candidate called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the election and undertake a re-run immediately.

In a full page advertorial made in THISDAY Newspaper, Emerhor said the home of the PDP deputy governor and one John Oguma, were not the ones used for the massive thumb printing of ballot papers in Ughelli South as earlier alleged.

He added that his party had found out that those high profile locations were avoided for obvious reasons, saying the thump printing plan was a lot more comprehensive as key local, state officials and party stalwarts were all mobilised into the exercise across the senatorial district, using varied pre-assigned locations.

“We have gathered all of the evidences including videotapes and will be making same public in due course,” he said.

According to him, “The plot for this sham election was simple: Lock down the senatorial district with the military allowing no movement by the opposition parties; provide security personnel to key PDP functionaries who then moved to disrupt voting; disperse and intimidate voters and opposition agents and cart away election materials for thump printing in pre-determined locations.

“In strongholds of opposition parties, the PDP conspired with INEC and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members to delay or refuse to carry out voting exercise. They then later carted away materials for thump printing and falsification of results.

“Later at night at the collation centre, the brute force of the security forces was used to keep away opposition party agents to allow the PDP write and allocate results to themselves and to the other parties.”

Emerhor alleged that the final results were signed by only PDP, the only party allowed into the collation centre, and the only party that witnessed the announcement of the results at about 2a.m. on, October 13.

“The tragedy of this so-called election is that INEC became an onlooker while the PDP and employees of the state government engaged by INEC as ad hoc staff ran away with the process. Independent monitors and indeed, INEC staff themselves have testified to this that INEC lost control of the process to the Delta State PDP government.

“We noticed that Channels Television appeared to have been hoodwinked to keep showing the scene of my voting in Evwreni Ward as evidence of peaceful voting. How come the PDP cannot provide more video evidence of peaceful election in any other location than my voting? Don’t they have picture of peaceful voting in any other location other than my ward?

“In conclusion, our position is that this is not an issue of malpractices arising from an election which is meant for questioning at an election tribunal. INEC, based on all that transpired, is required to make a judgement and to answer a fundamental question as to whether election as envisaged by our electoral law did take place on October 12. Our answer to this question is an emphatic No. This is why we are calling on INEC to cancel the purported election and undertake a re-run.”

But Uduaghan has dismissed the complaints of the opposition parties and urged them to accept defeat and work for the progress of the state.

Uduaghan, who stated this at the weekend, in Warri, at the wedding reception for Mr and Mrs Enahoro Ugbesia, son of Senator Odion Ugbesia of Edo State, said Delta State was controlled by PDP and as such, no other political party could secure electoral victory in the state.

He emphasised that the PDP umbrella is large enough for all Deltans, stating that if the election was to be held again, the PDP would record resounding victory as he did not join in the campaign train that saw the emergence of Chief Emmanuel Aguariavwado as Senator-elect.

“If they do the election a hundred times, we will beat them, they are not on ground, they should accept the result,” the governor said, at the event which was attended by the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, Senators, politicians and top government officials.

He congratulated the couple and urged them to believe in God, disclosing that, “the best teacher in every marriage is the marriage itself.”