Barely a week to the conduct of local government elections in Delta state, Executive Director, Centre for the Vulnerable and the Underprivileged, (Centrep), Oghenejabor Ikimi, ESQ., has said that the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSEIC), does not have the capacity to conduct a credible, free and fair council polls in Delta state.
The human rights lawyer in a statement while reacting to a recent vote of confidence passed on DSEIC by the Conference of Registered Political Parties in the State ahead of the January 6th 2018 local government council polls, described the action as an offensive brand of politics of the stomach capable of derailing true democracy at the grassroot.
“My attention has been drawn to the recent vote of confidence passed on the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSEIC) by the Conference of Registered Political Parties in the state ahead of the January 6th 2018 local government council polls in the state and I describe same as an offensive brand of politics of the stomach capable of derailing true democracy at the grassroot.
“It is public knowledge that Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSEIC) like other States Independent Electoral Commission are under the control and supervision of their state governors, and as such do not have the capacity and audacity to conduct a credible, free and fair local government poll in the 25 local government council areas of the state come January 6th 2018.
“The recent vote of confidence passed by the Conference of Registered Political Parties is no doubt an attempt to securing their yearly subvention from the Delta state government. The said vote of confidence is selfish, as same is not for the purpose of advancing the Nigerian democracy, good governance, human rights and culture.
“The 2018 local government elections guidelines released by Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSEIC) on the 3rd of October, 2017 which is not in conformity with the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) is a pointer to the fact that the January 6th 2018 local government polls would be a mere shambolic exercise. For instance, a week to the Saturday, 6th January, 2018 local government elections, there are no display of voter registers in any Wards and local government area in the State.
“For the above singular reason adduced above, the forthcoming local government Polls are already ordained to be a sham, while opposition parties for the sake of not losing their yearly subvention from the State government are scared stiff to challenge the said guidelines released by the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSEIC) for the said Poll. This is indeed a very sad commentary, as the Registered Political Parties themselves are the only legal personalities that have the locus to challenge the above shambolic guidelines in court.
“For the umpteen time I dare call on all the 36 State Houses of Assembly to support the National Assembly’s alteration to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 allowing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to start conducting local government polls nationwide and until that is done, true democracy would continue to elude the people of the grassroot to their detriment.
