…Recruitment was open to all Deltans who applied irrespective of party -DSIEC Chairman
The expectations of Deltans of having what can be considered as credible election in the proposed July 13th local government polls might have been dashed as the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC), has recruited and trained members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as adhoc staff for the conduct of the elections.
Advocate.ng authoritative gathered that against DSIEC public show through newspaper publication for qualified Deltans to who applied for exercise to come for training, Delta PDP leaders has concluded plans to use its members as adhoc staff for the conduct of the polls.
Recall that DSIEC in a press release signed by Dr. Jerry Agbaike, Chairman, Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC), published in Pointer newspaper on June 27th, 2024 which reads; “TRAINING OF DSIEC ADHOC STAFF FOR THE CONDUCT OF THE JULY 13, 2024 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS IN DELTA STATE
“The general public a hereby informed, especially candidates that applied for recruitment into the underlisted DSIEC positions for the conduct of the July 13, 2024 Local Government Elections in Delta State, that the training of Adhoc staff is scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 9:00am at designated training centres across the 25 Local Government Council Headquarters of the State. For ease of reference, the vacant positions for Adhoc staff include:
“Local Government Returning Officers (LGROS), Ward Returning Officers (WRO), Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs), Presiding Officers and Poll Clerks.
“Accordingly, all Applicants are kindly requested to reach the Chief Electors! Officers at the Commission’s field offices to locate the appropriate venues for the exercise.”
Advocate.ng reliably gathered that the leadership of the ruling PDP in Delta had selected three persons each, who are PDP card-carrying members per unit, in the 5,863 polling units across the 25 local government areas of the state to work as Ward Returning Officers (WRO), Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs), Presiding Officers and Poll Clerks, thereby sealing the fate of the opposition parties in the election.
When our team visited some training centers in Oghara, Sapele, Oleh, Patani, Kwale and Asaba on Saturday, June 29, 2024, the story was the same, participants whom our team spoke to confirm to us that many of them who attended the training didn’t apply for the job, but were selected by their party leaders at the unit level at the local government area.
Advocate.ng also gathered that the part of the plans to rig the election is to ensure that materials never get to any unit where they suspect that the opposition parties have strength, while materials will be supply to where PDP councillorship, chairmanship candidates and other top PDP leadership will be casting their votes.
At Oghara, one of the participants who spoke to us who simply gave his name Emuobor, was boastful about it, “Yes, we are three persons from our unit that was selected by our leader (name withheld), he told us to just come and write our names and show face, that our names have been submitted before now and that before the elections, we will be told where we will work within the local government.
“From what our leader told us, we will be posted to other units on the day of the election, a unit that people may not know us that too well.” He added, “Oga, PDP will win everywhere, Delta is PDP, go and mark today, sir, APC will not even see material, abi without material can dey vote”, he asked?
When contacted DSIEC Chairman, Dr. Jerry Agbaike, debunked the claim that the commission was selective in recruiting her adhoc staff, he said that the process was thrown open irrespective of political parties, gender or religious affiliations.
According to Dr. Agbaike, who spoke to us on phone said; “were they any categorization of those to come for the training, we said that all those who applied should come for the training, we said all, go and read the newspaper publication that I did, we said that all applicant should come, its from those who came for the training that we will pick, so what is the cry about.?
“It’s all applicant weather you are in ADP, Labour or PDP or APC, we said all applicants, we didn’t even mention political parties, when we said all applicants it includes civil servants, journalist, youth corper or a mechanics, all applicants is the key word,” he added.
Meanwhile, Delta APC publicity secretary Barr. Valentine Onojehuo, when contacted on the issue, said that the party was not aware that DSIEC conducted training for adhoc staff on Saturday, he noted that the commission hardly furnish other political parties with information on the activities leading to the conduct of the election.
When told that the information was published in the newspaper he said, “we didn’t see it, when DSIEC wants to make publication, they will put it in Pointer newspaper, how many people sees Pointer and how many copies do they circulate, I am sure most our members are not aware of this, you just brought to my attention” he noted.