…Calls for Total Cancellation of Election
Women and youths of Ovwian Community in Udu Local Government Area of Delta have protested against the recent community executive election held on December 26, 2023, citing alleged irregularities that characterized the entire process.
The protesters carried various placards with inscriptions such as “Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, Our Amiable Governor, Call Sakpra to Order,” “We Will Not Accept Mallams as Delegates for Ovwian Election,” “We Want the Entire Process Cancelled,” “The purported election was a charade carried out by Chief Sakpra and his cohorts,” and “We Don’t Want Crisis in Ovwian, Oborevwori Help Us,” among others, and called for the total cancellation of the election.
Mr. Emmanuel Potokri, an aspirant for the Assistant Secretary General position, along with Mr. Ramsey Boyi and Mr. Clement Akaba, spoke to journalists during the protest along Ovwian Community’s main road on Saturday, December 30, 2023.
They stated that the admittance of strangers as delegates negates the interlocutory injunction of the High Court at Otor-Udu, which directed that no statutory delegate should be deprived of their franchise.
The protesters emphasized that several individuals, including Chief Gabriel Sefia, Chief Steve Sokoh, and many others, had all served as triennial conference chairmen, and their elections had proceeded without being characterized by irregularities, unlike the most recent one.
They appealed to the Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, to summon the former Commissioner for Special Duties, Delta State, Chief Henry Sakpra, whom they accused of manipulating the entire process in favor of his preferred aspirants.
“What he did totally contravenes all sections of the Ovwian Community constitution. We will continue to protest until the right thing is done in our community. We cannot afford to condone irregularities in the election of new executives in our community,” they added.
