BREAKING: APC withdraws from ongoing LG poll in Delta

Some four hours into the ongoing local government election in Delta State, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has pulled out of the poll, citing irregularities.

This was disclosed in a statement on Saturday signed by the Publicity Secretary (Caretaker), APC Delta State, Sylvester Imonina Esq., and made available to journalists in the state.

“Some days ago we told Deltans that there were evil machinations to deprive Deltans of their rights to choose who to lead them at the local government level.

“True to the concerns raised by our Party days ago, DSIEC, PDP and Govr. Okowa have done the evil they know how to do best.

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“Yesterday, 5th March, 2021 at Dsiec headquarters in Asaba, Delta APC Representatives were not allowed to take statistics of the materials that Dsiec intended transporting to the different LGAs in the State.

“This is despite the insistence of the Party’s Representatives that it is the right of political parties to inspect and confirm what material is meant for ‘what and where,” he noted.

According to him, as of “11a.m today (Saturday), materials that were purportedly transported to DSIEC offices at the LGAs and some Police Stations were yet to be distributed.”

He alleged that in places like “Burutu and Patani Local Government Areas, election materials were not taken to anywhere near the Local Government Areas!

“In LGAs where materials were purportedly taken, there were/are no results’ sheets. This to our mind is evil. There cannot be Elections without results sheets!

“In Ethiope East, unconfirmed report says that materials were purportedly taken there. However, there are also no results’ sheets.

“In few places in Asaba and the home town of the Governor where what looks like “elections materials” were taken to, there were no election results’ sheets too.

“Undiluted information reaching Delta APC is that DSIEC in connivance with PDP and the Governor have directed that apart from selected places where there shall be stage-managed elections, and some unscrupulous journalists made to dish out falsehood that there was peaceful election, it was their plans that there should be no release of election materials to any Ward.”

Imonina further averred that “APC members and Deltans who believe in democratic tenets have been to the different DSIEC offices and Police Stations where election materials were supposedly kept, but nothing is happening in those places. In other words, results are being written in undisclosed homes and offices with the connivance of security men.”

He added that “some APC members and leaders who peacefully protested the anti-democratic vices going on in the different DSIEC offices and Police Stations are being intimidated, harassed and humiliated.

“In particular, at the Police Station in Ozoro, Isoko North Local Government Area, on the instigation of PDP leaders in Isoko North, some APC Stalwarts were arrested and still being kept in police Cell by the overzealous Divisional Police Officer and men under his control.”

In view of the above allegations, he said the Delta APC “hereby boycotts the charade called “Delta State Local Government Council elections,” noting that “though, the decision of Delta APC might be painful in view of the huge resources already committed by the Party and our Candidates to the project of making Delta State a better place.”

The Party, however, urged all members to remain peaceful in their bid to “bringing to the attention of Deltans and Nigerians the sacrilegious acts (murdering of democracy)of Dsiec, PDP and Gov Okowa.”

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE