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The six-man committee, assigned by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to look into alleged misgivings that occasioned the Warri South Constituency 1 bye-election held in April 26, 2017, has finally made her report public.
TheNewsGuru reports despite data of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) showing 71,089 registered voters in the six wards that make up Warri South Constituency 1 as at April 26, 2017 when the bye-election was held, Shola Daibo polled less than 6,000 votes, a situation that worried the State government, necessitating the setting up of the committee by Governor Okowa, especially as the 2019 general election inches closer.
TheNewsGuru further reports that Princess Shola Daibo of the Accord Party was declared winner of the by-election into the vacant seat of the Delta state House of Assembly in Warri-South Constituency 1 by the INEC after polling 5,546 votes of 7,837 total numbers of valid votes at the election.
Prince Stanley Emiko, the nephew of Shola Daibo, who doubles as the All Progressives Congress candidate, polled 2,010 votes to come second.
The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) came a distant third with 183 votes.
Out of 8,103 accredited voters, 263 votes were rejected.
The committee’s report, obtained by TheNewsGuru, blames the emergence of Shola Daibo as Accord Party candidate, the emergence her nephew as APC candidate and tendencies to short-change party field-workers at the wards and units, as some reasons for the dismal outing of the bye-election.
“The process which saw her (Shola Daibo) emerging as consensus candidate, though constitutionally okay could impede internal democracy in the party, going forward,” the committee report read.
The report also blamed the participation of politicians from neighbouring local council areas for the dismal outcome of the bye-election.
“The participation of other political leaders from neighbouring Warri North and Warri South-West Local Government Areas in assisting to prosecute the bye-election was though commended by the stakeholders, but was perceived as clear contradiction and distortion of existing structure, hitherto managed by Warri South LGA leaders.
“Rather than complement the existing structure on ground, they seemingly hijacked the entire process for reasons best known to them,” the report stated.
The committee warns against the “imposition of candidates,” stressing that the act could serve to mar the transparency of democracy.
The committee recommends that Obodo axis and Ubeji axis in the Constituency with their wide geographical spread should be considered as separate wards and funds allotted accordingly.
The six-man committee was made up of Sir Dandy Idundun, Mr. Michael Tidi, Chief Israel Abido, Griftson Omatsuli, Ms Grace Yomere and Mr. Andrew Megbele.