The Delta State All Progressives Congress Publicity Secretary, Barr. Valentine Onojeghuo has reacted to the denial of an alleged ongoing connivance  between the PDP and the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission, DSIEC, to outwit and shortchange the opposition parties in the July 13, 2024 Local Government poll in the State.

Addressing newsmen in Asaba yesterday Tuesday July 2, the Publicity Secretary referred to the copious denial by the State PDP of its evil connivance with the Electoral body to shut out other parties, describing their efforts as the re-enactment of the usual tradition of hijacking elections.

Onojeghuo noted that, hard as the duo of the PDP and DSIEC have tried to feign ignorance and claim transparency, they should be ashamed that their perfected voodoo and the actors they have positioned to execute their evil machination are, not only well-known, but are even exposing their plans and the various roles they were instructed to play come July 13 in the public.

The party publicity scribe slammed the defence offered by the State electoral umpire that it published the advertorial for invitation for recruitment and training in a state government-owned internal memo/bulletin called the Pointer, charging the electoral body to prove its position as an independent commission.

Onojeghuo reminded DSIEC that but for the clandestine and dubious collabo with the PDP and the state government, it should have known and realized that its duty as an independent umpire is to use national media to reach out to the public rather than the state internal memo/bulletin produced by the State government for the consumption of a few government offices and, of course, the PDP party leadership.

“Their denials have fallen flat. There is no way DSIEC can claim transparency in its plans and preparation for the July 13 Local Government election when what you did was actually an internal advertisement ostensibly designed to shut out the participation of the opposition party.

“If the DSIEC chairman, Dr. Jerry Agbaike wants to demonstrate his transparency and integrity, he should have realized that the oath he swore to was to remain independent and not to be an appendage to the state government nor the PDP.

“If Agbaike sincerely wanted to inform ‘the general public’ of his activities, he should have engaged known public media houses to pass his messages. It was ill-intentioned and in fact, deliberate for the electoral body to limit its invitation for qualified Deltans to apply for training using the government internal memo/bulletin to advertise it”, Onojeghuo stated.

Expressing shock at the PDP’s reaction to the allegation of hijacking the training of DSIEC ad-hoc staff for the party, Onojeghuo took a swipe at the PDP Secretary, Dan Ossai, that he has not succeeded in discharging the party of the endemic corruption that has bedevilled it since 1999.

Onojeghuo disclosed to the PDP scribe that those whom the party have handpicked who didn’t even applied for the DSIEC advertised vacancies are telling their story to anyone that cares, adding that they also rehearse the roles which the party has given to them in public.

He charged the PDP scribe and the party leadership to give the state electoral body a chance to exercise its independence and allow other parties participate under a free and fair atmosphere.

Onojeghuo accused the PDP of being overwhelmed with the kind of morbid fear of the opposition that almost swallowed the party in the 2023 election, adding that all its present maneuvres is to avoid that state of hysteria that and struggle for it to win the 2023 election.

“What proof does the PDP scribe needed for him to re-confirm its age-long corruption infested characteristics during elections?

“The party agents they handpicked from different wards who did not attend the recruitment and training exercise of DSIEC are known.

“Ossai should go round the different wards in the State and he will be convinced that the squabble between those who applied and went for training and those who did not attend training but are now handpicked by the party, is brewing up and they are dancing naked in the public.

“DSIEC must purge itself of corruption and present a level playing field for all the stakeholders to operate under a free and fair atmosphere for the forthcoming LG Election”, Onojeghuo concluded.