By Abiola Olawale
Senator Joel-Onowakpo Thomas, the Senator representing Delta South senatorial district of Delta State in the Senate, has condemned the conduct of the ongoing Local Government elections conducted by the Delta State Independence Electoral Commission (DSIEC) in the State.
The federal lawmaker accused the officials of the DSIEC of not following the laid down rules and regulations for the conduct of local government elections.
According to him, the state’s electoral body has conspired with the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to rig out the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other political parties in the elections.
He accused the DSIEC of failing to release sensitive electoral materials, including result sheets and ballot papers, for the elections.
Addressing the press in Emede, Isoko South Local Government Area of the state, Joel-Onowakpo accused DSIEC of denying citizens their vital, inalienable and fundamental rights to vote, effectively rendering the election invalid.
Furthermore, the verdict and feelings of the vast majority of those in Delta were captured in a statement Joel-Onowakpo . Indeed, in a press release signed by the senator’s Senior Special Adviser, Michael Emumena Paul, Joel-Onowakpo condemned the whole exercise as a charade.
Joel-Onowakpo lamented that the PDP-led government has once again undermined Delta’s democratic heritage, adding that, “Democracy worldwide is about the will of the people, but DSIEC and the PDP have conspired to deny citizens their right to elect local government leaders. This is undemocratic and unacceptable.”
Joel-Onowakpo who is also a former chairman, of Delta State Board of Internal Revenue, emphasised that the non-release of sensitive materials constitute electoral fraud and compromised the election’s integrity even as he advocated for local government autonomy and commended the Federal government and the Supreme Court for taking steps towards this goal.
According to the senator, the a need for constitutional amendment to transfer the power to constitute state electoral commissions from state governors to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has become most compelling. He said: “Until INEC takes over local government elections, we cannot guarantee the true autonomy of the third tier of government.”
