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INEC names Emmanuel Uduaghan as the winner of d just concluded Delta Govenorship Re- run Election.
A WINNER was yet to emerge last night in the Delta State governorship election rerun.
The votes were still being collated this morning, but there were indications that there were two leading candidates – Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan and Chief Great Ogboru.
Uduaghan is of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Ogboru is of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP).
Fourteen political parties fielded candidates in the election..
The results released at the collation centre as at 2.10a.m. put Uduaghan ahead of his closest rival Ogboru.
But the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) identified the lapses in the exercise.
The TMG is a coalition of over 400 civil society organisations, which has been monitoring elections in the country since 1999. It deployed its observers in all the wards and the 25 local government areas in Delta State during yesterday’s rerun election.
In its preliminary report on the election signed by its chair, Mashood Erubami and Public Affairs Officer, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the TMG listed the problems that plagued the election as: large presence of police and other security outfits; late arrival of election officials and materials in some centres; missing names in INEC voter registers; ballot snatching; harassment of voters; vote buying; and lack of secrecy at some of the voting centres.
It said the election is a template for a new dawn for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The TMG said notwithstanding these lapses, the election “went on well in majority of polling booth”. “It was generally peaceful without the reported loss of lives either by error of omission or commission, unlike before. “Expectedly, INEC officials operated above board as there were no pointed accusations against their operations, they demonstrated competence and efficiency in the conduct of the election, signposting that they were adequately trained before their deployment into the field.”
The TMG said it was not surprising that some people could not find their names on the voter register, given the fact that INEC issued the old and discredited register.
Jega gave his men a pass mark, in spite of the odds that dogged the election.
Jega spoke to reporters at the INEC office in Asaba last night after monitoring the election across the state.
He said the commission would learn from the experiences gained in the rerun election to improve on the April general elections.
He said the commission had to work extra hard in order to make a success of the rerun.
He blamed some of the political parties for exhibiting insincerity, adding after some political parties abused the trust of the commission by producing fake cards.
He said the attitude of the commission was to uphold the sanctity of one man, one vote objective.
Jega said due to the constraint of time the commission had to use the old voter register, adding that had the electoral body insisted on using a new register it would have violated the court order to conduct the rerun in 90 days.
He said the commission tried to increase the credibility of the old register by setting up a committee to scrutinise the register, adding that despite the commission’s effort some problems still arose on the register.
He admitted some of the challenges, including late arrival of election materials, snatched ballot boxes, violence and physical abuse.
Jega promised that the April elections would be better, adding that it will satisfy the yearnings of Nigerians for credible elections.
According to him, the introduction by the commission of new guidelines brought credibility into the electoral process.
He said INEC had been non-partisan while acknowledging that the commission had not conducted a perfect election but had done a good job.
He said many disenfranchised residents of riverine communities showered encomiums on INEC as this was the first time they had participated in any election.
Jega monitored several riverine communities in Burutu, Bomadi and Patani.
He praised the Youth Corps members who assisted to organise the election for their commitment.
