10th April, 2021
A chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State, Goodness Agbi on Saturday lamented the failure of the card readers in some of the polling units during the bye-election to fill the vacant seat at the state House of Assembly.
Mr. Godnews Agbi, an APC chieftain, said that the failure of the card readers was a calculated attempt by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to thumbprint ballot papers.
“In Ozoro Ward 2, they tore the clothes off one of our agents and it is a deliberate plan of the PDP to thumbprint,” Agbi alleged.
In a Swift response, Mr Nelson Egware, Senior Special Assistant to Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa on Media, said that PDP should not be blamed for the failure of the card readers.
“When someone is falling, he usually looks for something to hold on to.
“In my unit, card readers are working and people are voting, there is nothing like thumb printing of ballot papers.
“l believe that it is the same thing across the wards in the constituency,” Egware said.
However, the Chairman of PDP in Isoko North Local Government Area, Mr Godwin Ogorugba, expressed satisfaction with the turnout of voters.
Ogorugba, who voted at Otibio, unit 3, expressed satisfaction with the by-election.
Also, Mr Jude Ogbimi, PDP candidate in the by-election expressed joy at the peaceful conduct of the election while he voted at Otibio, unit 2.
The by-election was for the vacant Delta House of Assembly seat created by the death of Tim Owhefere, its former Majority Leader, in January at the age of 57.