The newly sworn-in board of the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) has vowed a levelled playing field for all political parties, while also stressing there will be no compromise of electoral processes in the State henceforth.
The new DSIEC board chairman, Chief Michael Ogbodu, made the vow while speaking at the swearing-in ceremony that held in the State capital, Asaba today.
TheNewsGuru reports during the ceremony, the State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, had charged members of the commission to acquaint themselves with enabling laws so they will always do their best for the electorate.
According to the Governor, the chairman and members of electoral commissions should “look into the law establishing the commission, get themselves acquainted with it, so that they are able to carry out all other duties as specified by the law creating the commission”.
In his response, Chief Ogbodu thanked Governor Okowa’s administration for deeming them fit to serve Deltans through DSIEC, assuring that they will be unbiased umpires who will provide a levelled playing field for all political parties participating in elections in the State.
In a separate interview with TheNewsGuru, one of the DSIEC commissioners, Engr. James Umukoro, speaking in tune with the State governor and the DSIEC chairman, said: “the new DSIEC board is out to make a huge difference”.
“The new DSIEC board set out to make a change in a typical grand scale. In the drive to put credible elective officers into various positions, we want to ensure that elections are credible, free and fair, devoid of irregularities. That is what we are out for.
“We want to ensure that at the end of the day, everybody is happy. There will be peaceful elections where everybody will say yes, the winner actually won, and not a situation where losers will try to manipulate things and come out on top. We will ensure to guide against that,” the DSIEC commissioner said.
Speaking on measures to curb election malpractices, Engr. Umukoro stated thus: “It is usually a huge challenge, no doubt about that; but we will set up the technical know-how in line with election best practices to ensure that elections henceforth are credible, free and fair in Delta state”.
He further stated: “We will put the right structures in place to avoid election rigging at all levels. And where we observe there is rigging of election, of course, such votes would be cancelled given due consultations from election stakeholders.
“There will be no compromise. There will be no nepotism. There will be no tribalism. As soon as we observe there is rigging in any area, we will ensure that such elections are cancelled, and new election would be conducted.
“It is only by so doing, we will have enabling peace after elections. This is what the new board is out for”.
Meanwhile, councils and wards heads in the State will be completing their 3-year tenure in October, and the State Governor expects DSIEC is able to conduct a credible election in the next few months.
“Our local government chairmen have served for 3 years and their tenure will be expiring at the end of October; that means that you (DSIEC) have to put all processes in place to be able to conduct a credible election in the next few months.
“Yes it is a big task but, I believe that the newly inaugurated Commission will be able to put the processes in place and will be able to deliver a credible election,” Gov. Okowa stated.