Accept defeat, Delta gov-elect tells Omo-Agege

 

The Peoples Democratic Party in Delta State has called on the Deputy Senate President,  Ovie Omo-Agege, to accept his defeat in Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

The PUNCH reports that the governorship candidate of the PDP, Sheriff Oborevwori, who is the Speaker of the state House of Assembly defeated Omo-Agege, who was the candidate of the All Progressives Congress.

The Independent National Electoral Commission declared that Oborevwori polled 360,234 votes to defeat Omo-Agege with 240,229 votes.

In a statement on Monday by the Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, the PDP called on Omo-Agege to accept the outcome of the poll and congratulate Oborevwori.

The PDP insisted that the election was conducted in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and was credible.

“It is, however, disturbing that the APC that unleashed terror on innocent voters in Ughelli North Local Government Area  and parts of Ethiope West LGA could turn around to point accusing fingers at others.

“The APC, having won six state constituencies, cannot turn around to describe the election as not complying with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.

“We, therefore, call on the APC governorship candidate and Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege to do the needful expected of democrats. He should call on his brother, the PDP governorship candidate, Sheriff Oborevwori, to congratulate him on his well-deserved victory at the polls.”

But Omo-Agege, in a statement on Monday by his Chief Press Secretary, Sunny Areh,

Omo-Agege, rejected the results of the poll, contending that it was fraught with irregularities.

He said, “The fraudulent nature of PDP’s so-called victory is just too damning and daring for it to be acceptable in any decent society. Most of those infractions are in the public domain and known to INEC officials and the security agencies involved in superintending the election.

“In the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections, the results pointed to an unequivocal rejection of the PDP. Of the three senatorial zones in the state, APC won two while PDP controversially edged out the Labour Party in the Delta North Senate race.

“It was an unadulterated verdict of Deltans on how they have fared under 24 years of governance of their state by PDP.

“On the basis of the factors listed and more that will come later, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, governorship candidate of the APC in Delta State, as well as the leadership of the party, unequivocally reject the declaration by INEC of Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori of the PDP as the winner of the March 18 governorship election.”

Meanwhile, the governor-elect, Oborevwori,  dedicated his electoral victory to God just as he assured the people of the state that he would consolidate on the achievements of the incumbent Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

Oborevwori  said as the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly in the last six and a half years, he had garnered enough experience to take the state to the next level.

“I have learned the importance of setting the priorities of government, communicating the goals and outcomes of policies and programmes, and pursuing them with relentless zeal,” he added.