The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole may have stirred dust that could hardly settle before, during and after the 2019 general election as the ruling party in Delta State, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has continued to accuse him of perfecting plans to rig and take over the state.
Late last year, Oshiomhole had mentioned Delta State as one of the states to be taken over by the APC. PDP members in the state said that his words and actions even during campaigns also seemed to have confirmed that the Edo-born politician and former governor of Edo State was sure of what he saying, but pointedly told him that he was just day-dreaming in his quest to take over the state.
The PDP could not watch Oshiomhole and his APC perfect and succeed in the alleged plans, hence, the PDP raised the alarm over the deployment of the INEC’s REC, Cyril Omorogbe, to Delta State, alleging that he was deployed by Oshiomhole to rig election in favour of the APC.
PDP also alleged that security men were deployed from the University of Benin to Delta State to rig the botched Presidential/National Assembly election of February, 16 for the APC.
Responding to the allegations during a press conference held in Asaba, Omorogbe told newsmen that he was in the state for the good of the state even as he said no security man was deployed to Delta State as ad-hoc staff.
“We did not deploy any gateman or security men or something of that nature to Delta State. The only connection with Edo is with the University of Benin. We went there to get collation officers. They were trained; we brought them here on that same night the election was postponed. We are at it again, trying to train more able-bodied and well-respected lecturers and professors,” he said.
He explained that the process of picking collation officers was done in Abuja. “I did not decide on that. They just sent a list to me to work with, and told me to go ahead and contact them (those on the list) and train them. That’s exactly what we did,” the REC said.
He explained reasons why he did not suspect any foul play when the list and directives were handed down to him.
“Part of it has to do with the fact that I am not from Delta State. I am from Edo State. Part of it has to do with the fact that I don’t have any stake. It doesn’t bother me. I just want the best for the state where I supervise,” he said.
“When you bring those lecturers from a different state, the stake or their interest is just to come in there and run a free and fair election as opposed to being one-sided, trying to support their brother or something of that nature,” he added.
BDSUNDAY, however, gathered that many Deltans had thought that rather than going to UNIBEN in Edo where Oshiomhole hails from, the INEC (Abuja) should have gone to other tertiary institutions in Delta State as there are over five of them or go to other neigbouring states.
Omorogbe opined that cost may have been one of the reasons why collation officers were chosen from UNIBEN in Edo rather than going to nearby states like Anambra.
As more events unfold, analysts foresee the ruling party in the state throwing more stones at Oshiomhole and INEC, especially, should the
PDP lose the elections.
Meanwhile, the Delta State Police Command has expressed dismay over the way and manner majority of volunteer organisations were meddling in the election/security affairs.
The command made reference to the case where three suspects namely David Ukiri ‘m’, Alfred Joseph ‘m’ and Uvwiejibobor Akpevwe ‘m’ all of
Udu in Udu Local Government Area, arrested with arms, by a detachment of police officers deployed to Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to secure electoral materials, adding that they claimed they were members of a vigilante group detailed by their chairman to escort electoral materials.
The command therefore, warned stakeholders who have or intend to employ the services of private security agents, volunteers, guards, vigilantes for the purpose of securing/escorting electoral materials, etc to desist from doing so.
The command in a statement signed by the acting spokesman, Chuks Orisewezie, warned that anyone caught would be arrested and prosecuted.
He said security operatives aside the police, armed forces, DSS, Customs, immigration and other sister security, remain banned from election activities.
Mercy Enoch, Asaba
