BEVERLY HILLS, CA, October 13, (THEWILL) – Though the Delta Central Senatorial Election which held on Saturday may have been peacefully conducted, voter apathy and intimidation of voters by heavy security presence really marred the exercise with low turn out experienced in most of the polling units .
The by-election was conducted to find a replacement for the late Senator representing the area, Pious Ewherido, who died on June 20.
Until his death, Ewherido was the only Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) member in the Senate.
It is expected that one of the candidates, Chief Emmanuel Aguariavwodo (PDP), Olorogun Otega Emerhor (APC) and Chief Ede Dafinone (DPP) ,would emerged winner in the keenly contested by-election.
The winner of the poll would only spend one and half years before the 2015 general election.
And with heavy security presence on the majors roads, a lot of people were restrained from moving from one polling unit to another.
Security were also deployed around polling stations to ensure that voting passed off smoothly without much incident even though few of the eligible voters turned out.
The soldiers mounted heavy barricades on major roads particularly the Warri/Benin expressway amid the fear of influx of people from neighbouring Edo State which is the stronghold of All Progressive Council (APC).
More worrisome is the fact that a particular political party had planned to derailed the voting exercise and caused blood shed during the election.
This made Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan to warn against violence by promoting the deployment of security agents to stall unforeseen incidents.
There was however complaints of late arrival of electoral materials and personnel in some areas. Accreditation of voters started 8:am while voting was expected to commence by 12:pm.
There were allegations of thumb-printing of voters’ cards in the homes of some political leaders in parts of the district around 10:45am.
Party agents alleged voting was done overnight in the village of a particular candidate but this couldn’t be independently verified as a ballot box meant for a unit in Agbarho, Ughelli North Local Government Area was allegedly taken outside the unit.
As at the time of filing this, collation had already commenced in some centres with the PDP opening a comfortable lead.
In Uvwie Local Government Area, Ward 3, Unit 8, where the votes were counted, PDP had 48 votes, APC12 and DPP 9. Two votes were voided.
Delta state Deputy Governor, Prof. Amos Utuama, who cast his vote in his Otu-Jeremi country home at about 1:05pm expressed satisfaction with the election.
He described the delay in the distribution of materials as “typically Nigerian factor” where take-offs are never smooth but the process ends well at last.
This came as the delay in the distribution of materials was attributed to earlier protest by some National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members engaged by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) who said they had not been paid their feeding allowances.
Utuama however dismissed allegation that some PDP faithful were thumb printing in Aladja area, saying it was not true.
“The report I have received from other units in Delta Central is that the exercise is going on fine. The allegations are not facts, they are not true but in any case we Nigerians have an attitude, when we are losing they find an excuse,” he said.
Member representing Ughelli South in the State House of Assembly, Hon Talib Tebite, described the exercise as successful for INEC although he complained of late arrival of voting materials to his polling unit in Ughelli South LGA.
In Orogun, Ughelli North Local Government area, report says there was high turnout of voters who queued up to cast their votes amid tight security in the area.
INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Delta State, Dame Gesila Khan gave the total number of registered voters for the eight councils where the election was held as 843,411. In Ethiope West Council, there are 84,262 registered voters while Okpe local government, there are 79,436 voters.
He said that 90,559 people registered to vote in Ethiope East, the home of Ogboru. In Udu council, there are100,656 voters while147, 261 registered in Uvwie Council while Ughelli South, the home of Ewherido, has 94,811 voters even as Ugheli South, the home of Emerhor, has 151, 425 voters.
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