PDP SWEEPS ENUGU LOCAL GOVERNMENT POLLS AS APC CRY FOUL

The People’s Democratic Party, PDP, has won all the 17 Chairmanship positions in the November 4, Local Government elections held in Enugu State.

Announcing the result, Chairman, Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission, ENSIEC, Dr. Mike Ajogwu also stated that the PDP clinched 258 Councillorship positions so far declared by the Commission.

Enugu State has 260 election wards and 2,985 polling units.

The only two Councillorship positions not announced were those of Eke and Obioma Wards in Udi Local Government Area, where elections were not held due to some issues. Eke and Obioma wards are said to have strong APC base, while the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey and the Director General, Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu Onyeama are from Eke ward.

Though the Chairman, Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission, ENSIEC, Dr. Mike Ajogwu described the election as free and fair, he accused APC Leadership in the State of masterminding the violence that erupted in some areas in Oji River Local Government.

Dr. Ajogwu said that an APC Chieftain the Enugu State, Chief Gbazuoagu Nweke Gbazuagu (GNG) had before the election in the presence of the State Commissioner of Police, the State Chairman of APC and some other APC leaders threatened that there would be mayhem during the election.

“While we were arranging the sensitive materials to go out, leaders of APC led y their chairman: those in the meeting included Mr. Mammel, a prominent leader, Eugene Odo, former speaker and prominent member and GNG, Ggbazuoagu Nweke Gbazuoagu. While we were explaining to them why they should allow us decentralize (materials), the comment, particularly from Gbazuoagu Nweke Gbazuagu, is that they only came to see if they can bring down the rate of mayhem, they used the word mayhem planned for the election day.

“Then I said, well if any child’s life is wasted, I know your child will not be there, you will be fully responsible and that threw the commission on its alert and then we had to coordinate our plan that the mayhem always in election like this will be concerned with the result sheets, so that they will tear the results sheets and then we agreed with the police that the ballot papers should be distributed immediately while the DPOs with the full force of the police should come very early in the morning and collect the result sheets.

“These ballot papers went to them and before the police could collect the result sheets, the may hem has started.”

The ENSIEC Boss however, denied knowledge of alleged crisis and rigging in some Polling Units in Igboeze South, Nkanu West and Isiuzo Local Government Areas.

In a reaction, the Chairman All Progressive Congress in the State, Dr. Ben Nwonye, who stormed the ENSIEC headquarters to present a formal protest to the Commission, accused ENSIEC of aiding electoral fraud.

“Days before the election, they refused to invite us when the electoral materials arrived Enugu. Ajogwu and his co-PDP members without any political party chairmen as is required in every legitimate political process, Ajogwu alone and PDP members went and sorted the materials.

“On Friday without the presence of political party agents and chairmen, Ajogwu working under the directive of PDP handed over the materials to corrupt security personnel to move around without anyone being accompanied by party agents.

“Some of the corrupt officers took the materials to PDP base in various local governments. At the end of the day by morning, now just discovered that the materials moved and the entire result sheet was still left at ENSIEC headquarters under the custody of PDP appointed ENIEC commissioners. They formed a conference where they were writing result and that caused mayhem all over the place.”

Dr. Nwony said APC would challenge the outcome of the election in Court.

“Absolutely, we have already started the challenged that is why they are afraid. He is going to be rubbished just like we tried to do (before the election) and they begged us, it won’t stand the taste of time, we have videos, we have records to back up our claims, he said”

Meanwhile, it was joy for winners of the Poll, including the Chairman elect for Oji River Local Government, Mr. Harrison Okeke.

In an interview with Radio Nigeria, Mr. Okeke promised that when sworn-in, he would embark on people oriented projects.

“I am so happy for what happened yesterday and I assure my people that I will serve them very well and do projects that will touch their lives.”

15 political parties participated in the Saturday Local Government elections in Enugu State.

In the mean time, some political stalwarts in Enugu State have expressed satisfaction over the conduct of the Local Government election held in the State.

They made their feelings known when Radio Nigeria Election Monitoring team visited some of the polling units at Enugu North Senatorial Zone.

Political Party chieftains, who spoke with Radio Nigeria including the commissioner for Housing Mr. Charles Ogbu Asogwa, a  former Secretary to the State Government Dr. Dan Shere and the Commissioner for Education, Professor UcheEze  said they were happy with the conduct of the election.

However, when Radio Nigeria visited NruUmuoyo Ward in Nsukka Local Government Area, the Administrative Secretary of the All Progressives Congress Party, APC, Mr. Eva Asogwa complained that there were lapses in the conduct of the election, while the Chairmanship candidate for APC in Nsukka Local Government, Chief Augustine Alumona, stated that there was no election in the area.

When our Correspondent visited Itchi Ward “One” in Igbo Eze South Local Government there was no sign of election in the area.

While monitoring the election, the Senator representing Enugu North Senatorial District, Chukwuka Utazi blamed the Nation’s problem on wrong leadership selection.

Senator Utazi stated this while interacting with journalists at his country town, Nkpologu  Uzouwani Local Government Area of Enugu State.

He decried the situation where political office holders insist on the siblings for political appointment and elective office.

According to him Nigeria is not lacking credible persons for leadership only that those already in positions have refused to allow them into positions of authority.

Senator Utazi was optimistic his party, the PDP would be better positioned to regain its position at the twenty nineteen elections during their National Convention billed for next month.

CHUKWUBUIKE MADU AND RITA ONYEKWE