The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State said it pulled out of the Saturday local council elections in the state.
The APC spokesperson in the state, Sylvester Imonina, said this in a statement in Asaba on Saturday.
Imonina said the party boycotted the election because the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) and others “cheated the Delta people again.”
“I told the people of Delta some days ago that there were evil machinations to deprive them of their right to choose who to lead them at the local government level.
“Yesterday, March, 5, 2021 at DSIEC headquarters in Asaba, Delta APC representatives were not allowed to take statistics of the materials that it 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 and where the materials are meant for.”
The APC spokesperson said the decision of the party might be painful in view of the huge resources it already committed to the election.
The APC urged its members to remain peaceful and seek legal means to bring to the attention of the Delta people and Nigerians the “sacrilegious acts” of the election commission.
‘Not aware’
Reacting to the boycott, DSIEC’s spokesperson, Arubi Orugbo, said the commission was not aware of the boycott.
Mr Orugbo, however, said the boycott was of no consequence to the election.
“You cannot start shifting the goalposts at the middle of a football game. It is just irrelevant,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Speaker, Delta House of Assembly, Sheriff Oborevwori, has said the election was peaceful across the state.
“I want to tell you that the election is peaceful,” Oborevwori told reporters after casting his vote at about 10:05 a.m. in Unit 9 Ward 6 in Osubi, Okpe Local Government Area of the state.
“Everybody accepts the candidature of Isaiah Isiovwa as Chairman of Okpe Local Government Area,” he said. “Victory is sure for the PDP in Okpe Local Government Area.”
