Delta Labour Party Chairman Attributes Defeat To Abuse Of Card Reader

STILL miffed by the defeat of the Labour Party governorship candidate in the March 28 election in the state, the party’s state chairman, Chief Tony Ezeagwu has alleged that a helping hand from security operatives, coupled with the bypassing of the card reader in about 2, 000 out of the 3, 624 polling units in the state gave victory to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Ezeagwu told reporters yesterday in Asaba said that the 724, 680 votes polled by Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, the governor-elect to defeat his closest rival, Chief Great Ogboru were more than the total accredited figure of 714, 921.

He pointed out that it was a cause for great concern that in the election where only about 400, 000 were duly authenticated by INEC via the innovative card reader, Okowa polled 724, 680.

Ezeagwu advised the National Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisah Metuh to desist from making careless, wild and provocative media statement on the outcome of the last April 11 governorship and House of Assembly election in the state, He faulted Metuh’s claim that the PDP won the election in the state, noting that on the contrary, the party violently subverted the will of the people, the Constitution and extant laws to be wrongfully declared the winner of the election.

The Chairman accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of being a willing partner in truncating the will of the people.

He alleged: “The thinking in Delta is that elements in PDP, INEC and national security men treasonably took over the government of the state extra-constitutionally. We are in the process of making representations to the incoming President on this serious matter. So the issues are too serious for sentiments and jokes from Metuh’s PDP.”

Ezeagwu wondered why the governor-elect and the PDP have been evading court service for more than a week as ordered by the Delta State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, an action which made the court to grant the LP counsel an ex parte application to served them by substituted means.