By Austin Ogwuda
ASABA—THE new Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, for Delta State, Dr. Gabriel Adah, has disclosed that so far, only 12 political parties have indicated  interest in the forth coming governorship re-run in the state, even as he clarified that no party was expected to field new candidates except such candidate fielded during the annulled 2007 governorship poll had died.

Adah who, however, did not name the parties, said  in Asaba, Delta State, during the stakeholders meeting, weekend,  that the Commission would do all within its power to ensure transparency in the conduct of the re-run election, noting that “Delta is a test case for the new Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. We will ensure that your votes count as we are committed to one man one vote.

“We have observed that part of the mistakes of the past was largely because of the caliber of adhoc staff we recruited. So, INEC has resolved to work only with corps members, who we believe have something (certificates) to lose should they subscribe to unethical practices,” he said.

While assuring stakeholders that his office will conduct the re-run  within the stipulated time ordered by the Court of Appeal Benin, he further hinted that the old voter’s register would be used but promised to correct any defect in the register before the re-run so as not to disenfranchise any eligible voter.

He said that  cases of loss of voter’s cards and those whose names were missing in said the old register would be corrected before the re-run.

The display of the voters list, according to him would last for five days  to enable eligible voters have their names entered.

Adah  reiterated the determination of INEC to monitor the primaries of political parties, which he noted was aimed at ensuring compliance with the principles of internal democracy, warning that any political party that fail to observe the tenets of internal democracy, henceforth, will have its candidate rejected.