As Deltans gear up for the forthcoming council polls, the Delta State Chief Judge, Justice Marshal Umukoro has advised members of the State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) to display a high level of integrity in discharge of their responsibilities.
Speaking during the weekend in Asaba during a visit by members of commission, Justice Mukoro explained that the local council system is the closest to the people and tasked the body on the need to midwife an electoral process devoid of impartially and divest itself of any political affiliation in order to conduct credible election.
The Chief Judge told the members who were led by the Chairman, Chief Mike Ogbodu that there is a need for improvement in the third tier of government, which according to him, used to be a beehive of government activities known to the people.
Justice Mukoro charged them to read and acquaint themselves with the relevant laws establishing the Commission, disclosing that three serving Magistrates would soon be appointed for election tribunals in the three Senatorial Districts in the State, even as he enjoined them to ensure credible process, saying the tribunals and appeals would rely on facts and their verdicts would be based on the merit.
Ogbodu said that they were in the office of the Chief Judge to solicit for the cooperation and support of the Judiciary in the forthcoming local government election.
The Chairman, who was in company of directors and other principal members of the Commission, asserted that the Judiciary was a key partner in the realisation of free and fair election, adding that litigation may sometimes arise even when everything humanly possible had been done to minimize incidence of litigation.
The Chairman thanked the Judiciary for its cooperation in previous elections and called for more synergy between the Judiciary and the Commission, even as he disclosed that the commission had held a dialogue meeting with political parties and their candidates to unveil the election timetable and date, which according to him, had been fixed for January 6, 2018.