Executive Assistant on Communications to Delta State Governor, Dr Latimore Oghenesivbe has again assured Deltans that the independent status of Delta State Independent Electoral Commission, DSIEC, remained sacrosanct, and described Governor Sheriff Oborevwori as a leader with good conscience and a core democrat who will not interfere with the operations of the electoral umpire in the forthcoming local government councils election.
He gave the assurance on Friday in Asaba while speaking as a guest of the State Television public affairs programme – The Faculty, saying that DSIEC is saddled with the entire responsibility of conducting free, fair and credible local government council elections in the state.
Oghenesivbe pointed out that the only responsibility of the state government is to ensure that adequate funds, security and logistics are provided to enable the commission to conduct a hitch-free exercise in the state in line with constitutional provisions, subsisting laws and in tandem with what is obtained at the national level between the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the federal government.
He posited that once the election timetable is released by DSIEC, political parties and aspirants are expected to commence political consultations and electioneering campaigns, followed by party primaries and subsequent emergence of candidates of various political parties in the state.
Barrister Latimore Oghenesivbe, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Delta State Orientation Bureau, DSOB, said his team is already working out sensitization campaign strategies to cure voters’ apathy and the need for a violence-free local government council election in the state, so as to effectively complement the efforts of DSIEC in the area of Voters Education.
And on national leadership and management of the nation’s economy under the APC federal government from 2015 till date, Oghenesivbe noted that Nigerians have been and still gnashing their teeth in acute socioeconomic economic hardship; dwindling economy, rising insecurity, unbearable hunger, joblessness, frustrations and regrets like never before since Nigeria got her independence in 1960 from British colonial rule.
He noted that Nigerians are now begging President Bola Tinubu and the APC federal government to return Nigeria to her 2015 socioeconomic status and disappear from the national political radar in 2027, due to clueless leadership and anti-people policies that have escalated inflation, interest rates, cost of fuel per little, domestic gas, flight tickets, foodstuff and anything that the people need to stay alive and enjoy life.
“In Delta State, we are ready for local government councils elections as assured by governor Sheriff Oborevwori. He’s a core Democratic who will never interfere in the operations of Delta State Independent Electoral Commission during the forthcoming local government councils election.
“In fact, the association of Local Government Councils Chairman, ALGON in the state passed a vote of confidence on Governor Oborevwori during the valedictory session for the outgoing council chairman at the last FAAC meeting. The outgoing chairman commended Elder Oborevwori for not interfering with their activities since he took over state leadership as governor.
“DSIEC is yet to announce guidelines and dates for the election. It is hoped that the Commission’s Chairman, Mr Agbaike would at the appropriate time jingle the bells for the smooth takeoff of electioneering activities for the local government councils election in the state, and am pretty sure the commission will do a good job.
“On our part at the Delta State Orientation Bureau, DSOB, we shall at the appropriate time commence sensitization campaigns to address the vexed issue of voters’ apathy and the need to conduct ourselves peacefully as Deltans before, during and after the election.
“The Bureau shall initiate and implement massive public awareness throughout the three senatorial districts via town hall meetings, youth and women groups sensitization, radio Jingles and television commercials.
“The Bureau shall also deploy multifaceted campaign strategies to complement DSIEC’s voters’ education to assure Deltans that their votes will count in the foreseeable free, fair and transparent local government councils election in Delta State.
“To answer your question on national leadership from 2015 till date, there is nothing to talk about. It’s bad news all the way. President Mohammadu Buhari made life unbearable within his eight years of bad governance, and President Bola Tinubu has made things worse for Nigerians.
“Where we are now is a state of socioeconomic retrogression, hardship, acute poverty and joblessness worsened by high inflation rate, and consistent devaluation of the Naira, as well as rising pump price of fuel, kerosine, cooking gas. Today, made in Nigeria rice is N60,000 per bag of 50kg, while foreign rice is between N75,000 and N90,000 depending on the brand.
“Cost of airline return flight ticket to London or America is N2.7 million as against between N180,000 to America and N95,000 to London in 2015. The economic policies of the APC federal government consistently remained anti-people from President Buhari to Tinubu.
“The true position of things today is that Nigerians are now begging President Tinubu and his APC party to restore Nigeria’s economic status to where it was in 2015 because under PDP federal government life was worth living, people were happy and prosperous, and cost of living was moderate compared to where we now found ourselves.
“APC national government got everything wrong and until Nigerians vote out the APC party our socioeconomic problems will continue to degenerate.
“Nigerians must now partner with PDP so that we can collectively free ourselves and our country from the political and socioeconomic yoke of the APC,” Oghenesivbe averred.
