By EMMA AMAIZE & GAB EJUWA, Warri
DEFEATED Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, flag bearer in the October 12 by-election in Delta Central senatorial district, DeltaState, Chief Ede Dafinone, has undertaken to challenge the outcome of the polls at the Election Petition Tribunal.

His words, “As law abiding citizens, we intend to explore all legal means to ensure this sham of an election is cancelled. We shall be proceeding to the Election Petition Tribunal to present our case. The party’s legal team had been told to head to the poll tribunal.”

In a statement issued in Sapele, Dafinone described the October 12 bye- election in which PDP’s candidate, Chief Emmanuel Aguariavwodo, was declared as winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as “a political denial perpetrated against Urhobo, the fifth largest ethnic group in Nigeria.”

According to him, “There is little recognition of Urhobo at the federal and state levels in terms of appointments and positions. Similarly, the interference in the last election where the candidate foisted on the PDP in DeltaState is again foisted and this time forcefully on the people of Delta Central”.

The DPP candidate, who, clearly, was displeased with the result of the election, flayed the exercise, which he alleged was not free and fair and was enmeshed in violence and intimidation of voters.

Dafinone condemned the purported reckless desperation, sheer treachery and lawlessness of leaders of the PDP in the state and also accused INEC of overturning the rule of fairness and allocating victory to the PDP.

He said, “We reject this outright robbery of the people’s will. We condemn this grievous injustice, this unconscionable mockery of all that is decent, of all that is fair and just. The army and INEC, both Federal Government institutions worked with the PDP’s candidate to ensure his victory.”

He added, “The PDP used the army to unleash terror on the people of Delta Central. For hours, gun shots rent the air and the people were clobbered. Also, the announced result shows PDP in first place. As if that is not bad enough, the result shows All Progressives Congress (APC) in second place with DPP, the Populist Party, in the third place. All that combines to make the whole result laughable.”