The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC on Monday suspended the collation of results of the National Assembly elections held in Delta Central Senatorial District of Delta state after a protest by the Labour Party in the area.
The Returning Officer of the senatorial district, Prof Greg Okagbare, who announced the suspension, said it was occasioned by protest against the exercise noting that “Some people are not satisfied with the results that we are collating.”
He said further that “I decided to suspend the collation till I get further directive because they said there is need for them to seek clarification and look at the basic information that led to the final figures we are collating.”
Prior to the pronouncements, the governorship and senatorial candidates of the LP, Chief Ovadje Ogboru and Barr Ovie-Omo-Agege respectively had stormed the INEC collation center Ughelli, headquarters of Ughelli North Local Government Area to register their displeasure with alleged manipulation of the NASS election result in the district.
It was learnt that the protest followed report that the PDP candidate, Chief ighoyota Amori had suddenly overtaken the party’s candidate who was earlier leading in over half of the eight LGAs.
Chief Ogboru said, “We are appealing to the chairman of INEC, Prof Attahiru Jega to change all the Electoral Officers, EO in the state before the governorship elections. If the commission as the electoral umpire fails to do this, my party would decide the next line of action at the end of the day.”
On his part, Omo-Agege said: “I am here to make sure that the right thing is done. For the collation to continue, the card reader must be interrogated, they must also produce some of the sensitive forms and they should invite all the candidates and we sit down together and we go through the ballot papers and anybody who wins, let him win, we just want the right thing to be done.”
It was also alleged that two of PDP leaders from Ughelli North ward 2/6 were said to have taken two different results to the Electoral Officer from same wards, which they said was questioned by the Electoral Officer and protested by the agents of the Labour Party.
However, it was gathered that the peaceful protest by the LP chieftains got out of control when security agents refused them entrance into the INEC office. When they insisted on entry, teargas was shot randomly to disperse them.
The action of the security operatives led to pandemonium as residents and some of the protesters ran for their dear lives. But calm later returned when the duo of Ogboru and Omo-Agege were allowed inside to lodge their complaints.
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