Controversies have continued to trail the purported INEC declaration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Assembly candidate in Isoko South constituency 11, Hon. Johnson Erijo as the winner of the election held, Tuesday, April, 26th, 2011 as the House of Assembly candidates of Labour Party (LP), Chief Iduh Amadhe, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Apostle Ewomazino Enifoghale, Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), Hon. Mike Okah and that of SMDP, Mr. Idawene Oke have accused INEC of inducement to announce the results in their constituencies despite petitions and protests.
In a press conference in Asaba, Delta state capital, the candidates rejected the Aviara ward 3 results and called for the immediate cancellation of the election even as they alleged that the election was marred with rigging as well as hijacking of electoral materials. “We wish to register our protest on the several gross irregularities that occurred during the governorship and House of Assembly election in Aviara ward 03 Isoko South local government area. The Aviara ward 03 is made up of twenty-nine electoral units. The election materials arrived at Aviara around 8:00am on the Election Day without any hitch and as distribution of materials started, suspected Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) thugs snatched the materials and diverted them to unknown destination.”
While listing units where materials meant to be used were allegedly snatched by PDP thugs to include units 02, 04, 05, 07, 11, 13, 16, 22, 23, 24, 25 and others were, the candidates disclosed that anomaly was reported by them and other party agents to the INEC office at Oleh, headquarters of Isoko South local government area, the SSS and Divisional Police Officer (DPO) as early as 11:00 am adding that “At about 12:30am when team of Journalists and election monitors visited the place they did not see any ballot box or people voting even the electorates in Aviara confirmed our report. The pressmen have video clips of their investigation. All other party agents were chased away and some physically manhandled. Some who dared to question the activities of the PDP thugs were beaten and handcuffed by police recruited by the PDP to perfect their electoral fraud.”
According to the aggrieved candidates “At about 11:00 pm, all the stolen materials were brought to the INEC office at Oleh. Despite our protest, the INEC at Oleh accepted the results for the House of Assembly election, while the result for governorship election was cancelled. We therefore call on INEC to cancel the Aviara ward 03 election and conduct another fresh election in that ward.”
Meanwhile in a statement titled “Governorship/House of Assembly Elections in Aviara ward 03, Isoko South constituency 11” addressed to the INEC REC in the state and signed by Mr. Ewomazino Efoghale Nelson ACN candidate, Chief Iduh Amadhe, Labour Party candidate, Chief Mike Okah DPP candidate and Mr. Idawene Oke, SDMP candidate cancellation of the Aviara election.
