LAGOS MARCH 31ST (URHOBOTODAY)-Delta Central Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) Saturday suspended further collation of election results at its Ughelli Collation Centre.
The returning officer of the senatorial district, Professor Greg Okagbare, said the suspension was occasioned by protests against the exercise.
Earlier on, Delta State Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate and Delta Central Senatorial candidate, Chief Great Ovadje Ogboru and Obaisi Ovie Omo-Agege, on Monday, stormed the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ughelli, to protest an alleged manipulation of results for the Delta Central senatorial election.
The duo stormed the INEC office in company of hundreds of their supporters most of them riding on motorbikes, denouncing the results being collated.
Speaking to journalists during the protest, Chief Ogboru said “We came here to make complaints to the returning officer because what they have here is not the result of the votes the electorate cast.”
We are appealing to the chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, to change all the Electoral Officers (EOs) in the state before the governorship election. If the commission, as the electoral umpire, fails to do this, my party would decide the next line of action at the end of the day.”
Omon-Agege, while addressing journalists, also noted that “I am here to make sure that the right thing is done. For the collation to continue, the card reader must be interrogated. They must also produce some of the sensitive forms.”
But for the timely intervention of security agents who fired tear gas to dispel the surging crowd, there would probably have been a tragedy.