By Victor Ahimua-Young

THE Anioma Agenda, a political pressure group in the North senatorial district of Delta State has announced an 11-point benchmark for those seeking to govern the state in 2015.

Chairman of the group, Mr. Alex Owuadiamu, presented the conditions at a consultative and interactive meeting of the group with a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship aspirant, Chief Johnson Ossai-Opone.

According to Anioma Agenda, the prospective governor shall possess cognate experience of at least 10 years in the public, private or professional service endeavour, a proven record as well as an untainted credibility and integrity record.
The aspirant is also expected to possess an appreciable network of support from critical stakeholders nationally, locally and essentially at the state level as well as demonstrable leadership traits.

He said that with the declaration of interest by Chief Ossai-Opone, the race for the 2015 governorship in the state had just begun, adding that Delta North was in search of a credible leader like the former premier of the defunct Midwest region, Chief Dennis Osadebey, who built the Asaba Textile Mill, Ughelli Glass Factory and Okpella Cement factory in Edo State.

….Half of voters not registered in Ika South

The Agbor community in Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State has petitioned the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, saying that half of eligible voting population in the area had been left out of the voters’ register.

Meanwhile, over   16 communities of Olomu Kingdom in Ughelli South Local Government  Area of the state have called on INEC, to extend the voters’ registration exercise currently going on so as to accommodate more persons. They also want INEC to deploy more data capturing machines to the area in question.

Deputy President General of Olomu Kugbere Union, Chief Paul Agboroh, who addressed newsmen, noted that, “the data capturing machines brought for the exercise were grossly inadequate as the only three machines available for the area of several hundreds of  thousands of persons waiting to be registered could not serve the purpose hence many people had to return home frustrated each day.”

Similarly, the Ika people in the petition by Gen. Nick Agbogun, President-General of Agbor Community, alleged that following the computer hitch at the INEC headquarters that wiped out the voters’ register for the council, that plans were made for a fresh registration in the area.
He lamented that the time given for the fresh registration was not sufficient to capture all the people that came out for the registration.

He said that the five day registration exercise was marred by heavy rains and shortage of registration kits that made an estimated half of those that turned out not to be registered.
“Further to our letters referred to above, we wish to state that the just concluded INEC fresh registration exercise in Ika South council did not capture half of the eligible voters, who enthusiastically turned out for the exercise within the allotted time frame of six days from August 20 – 25.”