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Group seeks
suspension
of Delta State Resident Electoral
Commissioner
Citizen report
Sat July 16,2011
Prof Jega
LIBERATE – DELTA PEOPLE’S
MOVEMENT, a group representing over 5000 citizens of Delta State
has today called on the President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck
Jonathan and the Chairman of INEC, Professor Jega, to suspend
the REC for Delta State, Dr. Gabriel Ada with immediate effect
and to establish a committee to conduct a full and frank
investigation into the practice of INEC officials in Delta
State.
Members of Liberate were in court today at the sitting
of the Electoral Tribunal to hear the petition tabled by the
Democratic Peoples Party on the January
6TH 2011 Governorship
Re-Run Election.
It was confirmed at the hearing that INEC has been unable
to produce/tender ballots with which Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan was
declared winner; this amounts to a significant breach of the
Electoral Act 2010 and an attempt to disenfranchise the people
of Delta State.
Section 72 of the Act entitled ‘Custody of
Documents’ clearly states - ’The Chief Electoral Commissioner or
any officer authorized by him shall keep official custody of all
the documents, including statement of results and ballot papers
relating to the election, which are returned to the Commission
by the Returning Officers’.
The failure of Dr. Gabriel Ada to secure possession of
all the documents is in breach of the Act and threatens to bring
the entire INEC into disrepute.
Professor Jega is called upon to act with haste, clarity
and a deep sense of purpose to protect the rights of the people
of Delta State afforded to them by the Electoral Act 2010.
The group’s spokesman, Mr. Cadre Drake said
that; ‘It is clear that Dr. Ada has colluded and collaborated
with PDP and Uduaghan to deny the people of Delta State their
legitimate mandate; Deltans want the same rights as the rest of
the country to elect our leaders.
We respect what Jega has done to improve elections in the
country and do not believe his work should be sullied by the
actions of Ada, it is now imperative that action is taken
against Ada’.
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