Francis Sadhere
A Warri-based Legal Practitioner, Barrister Robinson Ariyo has lambasted the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) over the October 25, 2014 local polls in the state, claiming the elections were marred with a lot of irregularities under the watchful eyes of security agents and officials of DSIEC.
The lawyer who is aspiring to represent Warri South Constituency I in the Delta State House of Assembly under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC while addressing journalists at the Warri NUJ Press Centre immediately after the close of the polls, described the exercise as a rape of democracy.
He vowed to fight the conduct of the election in the tribunal, disclosing that they were equipped with enough evidence that the election was characterized with irregularities.
“This society is going down the drain and we need the watchdog of the society to stand up. In as much as we are prepared to take this fight beyond this level; usually in a democracy when a thing like this happens, there is a window for us to ventilate our anger. We are going to go to the tribunal, we are going to study the materials we have, we are going to study the various pieces of evidence we have and know the different headings under which we are going to file our case. We are going to fight this fight in the interest of the people, the society and democracy,” he said.
Barrister Ariyo said that it was a shame that the ruling party and security agents were involved in ballot box snatching under the watchful eyes of DSIEC officials.
A very angry Barrister Ariyo, said that APC was going to challenge the exercise because they want to deepen democracy, lamenting that during the election, PDP and DSIEC connived with security agents to intimidate opposition parties, a situation he described as undemocratic.
According to him, result sheets were not available in most of the polling units he monitored, alleging that DSIEC had been announcing results in polling units where there were no result sheets.
“Apart from diversion of materials, areas where there seems to be semblance of election going on, the result sheets which are the most important materials, were not available. They were taken to somewhere else and as I speak to you most of these wards do not have result sheets. This is done so that it can create a window for PDP to write the results somewhere else. And I can assure you that in most of the wards – as the law requires that agents should countersign results that emanates from each unit – none of the agents were able to countersign the results because there were no result sheets. There are complaints from everywhere that there are no result sheets. As I speak with you, results have been announced where there are no result sheets,” he said.
He said that they have evidence that PDP members in connivance with security agents hijacked materials meant for some riverine areas in Warri South to some Hotels in Warri, adding that in their possession is a cap belonging to a policeman that fell off from his head when the alleged ballot box diversion was going on
In his words; “In many of the units, particularly the creeks, most of the materials were diverted with the aid of security operatives who shot into the air and scared APC members away. At Miller Water side, Warri, they diverted the materials and took them to three known areas in Warri.. So knowing that the Press is the watchdog of the society, we feel that we should report in details what has happened today to you.”
“We chased one of the groups that were involved in this ballot diversion and fortunately for us, one of the hats of one of the police men attached to this group fell off in the process of the struggle. We have gone to the Police Area Command, Warri and lounged a complaint to that effect and the Area Commander has advised us to launch a formal petition on that matter. We are keeping the hat with us as evidence,” he added.
Specifically, Barrister Ariyo alleged that election did not take place at Ode Itsekiri where he said that APC members who went there to monitor the election were chased out of the town by thugs.
He said they were dissatisfied with the conduct of the election, adding that the exercise was a ridicule on what democracy should be and what election should be, stressing that they felt betrayed by the government that ought to have guaranteed them free and fair elections.
Barrister Ariyo further stressed that only elected leaders that were elected in a free and fair election could be responsible to the people that elected them into power.
He also claimed that APC agents were beaten up and chased away by security agents and PDP members at Koko, Warri North Local Government Area.
“The story in Warri North was terrible. It was a free for all fight in Warri North. They took the materials away and they never got to their destinations and they will be thumb-printed and results will be announced as usual. This is despite the fact that we have been assured that there will be free and fair elections. There are people who feel that they are good football players but run away from playing a match. Running away only shows that you are not good enough,” he asserted.
Also speaking, Warri South APC Chairman, Prince Valentine Egbe said it was a shame for DSIEC members to collaborate with PDP members and security agents to divert ballot papers away from their destinations, adding that in the history of elections in the state, it was the first time the opposition party challenged the ruling party.
He said; “Some APC agents were beaten up and chased away by PDP members in most of the wards. It was so obvious to all what PDP was doing. DSIEC chairman, Mr. Ogbe promised us in Asaba that the election will be free and fair. But he should come to Warri and see how DSIEC officials carried on. It is a shame.
“One of the positive things in my own point of view is that people were able to come out today and challenged the PDP. This is the first time an alternative party has come out to challenge the PDP and members of PDP were very scared. But money influence had it way for them at the end of the day. Today is a very terrible day for democracy in Delta State and Nigeria at large,” he said.
