Senator Ede Dafinone (Delta Central) has denounced the Delta local council elections held on Saturday, July 13, calling them a complete sham and a mockery of democratic ideals and standards.
Dafinone addressed growing concerns nationwide about how governors use the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) to undermine the development of the electoral system at the local government level.
Reacting to the outcome of the council poll in Delta state, Dafinone lamented that grassroots citizens were prevented from freely electing their councilors and council chairpersons. He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting financial autonomy for local governments following the recent Supreme Court landmark judgment. He urged Nigerians of goodwill to work collectively to amend relevant sections of the constitution to free local governments from the control of state governors.
He noted that the main opposition, the All Progressives Congress (APC), had anticipated that the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) would not conduct credible elections, leading most of their candidates to withdraw from the polls.
According to him, “It’s very unfortunate and sad how low our people can go to acquire power. It’s even more troubling that after 25 years in our democratic experiment, we can’t conduct what looks like an election at the local government level.
“What took place in Delta State on Saturday, in all intents and purposes, can’t be classified as an election. It’s a complete sham and an affront to all known democratic ideals.
“The state electoral umpire, likely acting on the governor’s instructions, just allotted figures to candidates who participated in the shambolic process. It can best be described as a mere coronation of all PDP-nominated candidates.
“As predicted by political watchers, the Delta State PDP-led government is incapable of conducting free, fair, and credible elections. DISEC proved us right. There were reports across the state that electoral materials, particularly result sheets, were not supplied to many polling units. In some wards considered opposition strongholds, voting materials were not supplied at all.
“It’s disheartening that our governors, who are products of free and fair elections, can’t replicate the same in their local government areas. If INEC were to conduct elections the way governors purportedly guide SIEC to conduct local government polls, many of them wouldn’t be governors today.
“At this point in our national history and democratic journey, we must put partisan politics aside and work collectively to amend relevant sections of our constitution to rescue the local government system from the grip of our governors.
“I must commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for taking the lead in ensuring financial autonomy for local governments across the country.
“We must similarly ensure that a credible agency, possibly INEC, is charged with conducting local government elections nationwide to guarantee our people’s participation in democratic governance.”
Source: TheNation