By Emma Amaize
THE Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Delta State, has invited the 14 gubernatorial candidates cleared for the January 6, re-run in the state to a crucial meeting, today at Asaba.

Gubernatorial candidates of two of the political parties, confirmed to Vanguard, yesterday, that they had been notified of the meeting, but were not aware of the purpose.

Specifically, candidate of the Accord Party, AP, Mr. Peter Osalor, confirmed  that he received a message inviting all the gubernatorial candidates to a meeting at Asaba with INEC on January 3.

It was learnt that some gubernatorial candidates were jittery that the former Governor of the state, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, will win the election if the old voters’ register was used for the re-run, and so,  want more time to pressurize INEC to compile a new register.

A source said the authorities of INEC in the state want to use the meeting to explain its efforts so far in cleaning up the old voter’s register as it assured the candidates and their parties in an earlier meeting in Asaba.

But the PRP gubernatorial candidate in Delta State, Mr. Emmanuel Igbini, in a  statement, said he was taken aback by the opposition to the use of the old voters register by his DPP counterpart, Chief Great Ogboru, maintaining that he (Ogboru) agreed to the use of the old register before now.

“Let me state here, most respectfully that I am surprised and disappointed to read in Vanguard Newspaper, allegedly written on behalf and on the instruction of Chief  Ogboru, strongly rejecting the use of the old 2006 voters register for the re-run election and insisting on new voters’ register using the new DDC machines. This is very unfortunate and an attempt to mislead Deltans and Nigerians,” he said.