The Peoples Democratic Party, or PDP, won the council elections held on July 13 in Delta State, covering 24 local government areas.
On Sunday, in Asaba, the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) announced these results.
After the results were announced, DSIEC Chairman Dr. Jerry Agbaike spoke to the press. He mentioned that the Allied People’s Movement (APM) won in one electoral ward in Oshimili South local government area.
However, Senator Ede Dafinone, who represents Delta Central, criticized the election. He said it was just a show to make it look like all the PDP candidates were chosen. He blamed the electoral body, thinking they followed the state Governor’s instructions to select the winners unfairly.
Senator Dafinone called the election a joke and an insult to real democracy. He talked about the worry many people in the country have about how state governors control local elections, stopping real growth and development.
He felt sad about how people at the local level couldn’t choose their own leaders because of the state’s control. He praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting financial independence for local governments with a new Supreme Court ruling. He said good-hearted Nigerians should work together to change the rules in the constitution to free the local government system from the state’s tight control.
Dafinone added that because the All Progressives Congress (APC) sensed that DSIEC would not hold a fair election, most of their candidates pulled out of the race.
He said, “It’s sad and bad our people go so low to get power. It’s troubling that after 25 years of trying democracy, we can’t even hold a simple local election right.”
“What happened on Saturday in Delta State wasn’t a real election. It was a joke and an insult to democracy.”
“People who follow politics knew the Delta State PDP government couldn’t run a fair election, and DISEC proved them right,” Dafinone continued.
Dafinone stated there were reports that in many places, voting materials, especially result sheets, were missing. In areas strong for the opposition, some voting materials were not provided at all.
“It’s sad that governors, who won their posts through fair elections, can’t do the same for their local government areas. If INEC ran elections like how governors control the local elections, many wouldn’t be governors today.”
“Right now, we need to put politics aside and work together to change the rules to free the local government system from state governors’ control.”
“I appreciate the good work of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for leading the way by giving financial freedom to local governments.”
“We need to continue this by making sure a trustworthy agency, maybe INEC, manages local elections across the country so people can really take part in democracy,” Dafinone said.