By Francis Sadhere
Executive Director, Centre for the vulnerable and the underprivileged, (Centrep), Barr. Oghenejabor Ikimi has described last Saturday’s Delta local polls as shambolic, chaotic and characterized by violence and thuggery.
In a press statement signed by Barr. Ikimi and made available to National Reformer Newspaper, he said; “Sincerely speaking the just concluded local government elections in Delta State were shambolic to say the least as the entire process was chaotic, disorganized and mismanaged.”
He said in many polling units covered by its coordinators particularly in Warri South, Uvwie, Ndokwa East and Ndokwa West Local government areas, elections did not hold.
“However, in polling units where a resemblance of an election took place same began late and in most cases it was chaotic.
“In Ovwian, Ovwor-Olomu, Orhuwhorun, Kolokolo areas to mention but a few, were characterized with thuggery and violence. The entire process was not a credible exercise.
“The foregoing no doubt corroborates our numerous calls for the scrapping of all the 36 States Independent Electoral Commission as they are truly not independent, hence we welcome the move by the National Assembly to amend the 1999 Constitution to pave way for the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct all future local government elections nationwide,” he said.
Meanwhile, Centre for the Vulnerable and the Underprivileged, (CENTREP) has condemned the alleged attempted murder and assault on Mr. James Akpomudje by political thugs at Ovwor-Olomu in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State during last saturday’s local government elections in the State.
According to him also; “To this end, CENTREP has offered to take up the cases of the above duo free of charge as we have the firm belief that justice delayed is justice denied. We hope that by this gesture all forms of thuggery and electoral violence in our polity would be doused to a large extent.
