2023: Ebegbare Rejects Isoko Fed Constituency Results in Delta, Accuses INEC of Compromise

The candidate for Isoko Federal House of Representatives, under the  platform of the Social Democratic Party(SDP), Hon. Dickson Ebegbare, has rejected results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Returning Officer Prof. Ojugo Almond, saying the results were announced  despite the  fact the election was inconclusive.

Prof. Ojugo  had declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP),  Jonathan Ukodhiko, as the  winner with 23, 487 votes to defeat  Mr. Dickson Ebegbare,  who  was said to have scored 21, 416 votes.

But speaking on the development, at the collation centre in Oleh, the headquarter of Isoko South Local Government Area,  Ebegbare, popularly known as Fineboy, said INEC was  compromised to  have declared the results of an inconclusive election.

Ebegbare decried the sudden reversal of earlier declaration of inconclusive election by the INEC returning officer.

He noted that a petition had been submitted to the INEC over Enwhe community, Isoko South local government area, were election was disrupted, adding that he stood the chance  of additional 7,000 votes, if rerun of the election was conducted.

Ebegbare alleged that high profile government officials pressured the INEC returning officer to subvert the will of the people, just as he called on INEC to reschedule another date for the rerun.

He maintained that INEC had violated Section 24, 47 and 51 of the Electoral Act, noting that the sudden reversal of inconclusive election to declaration of results is not acceptable to Isoko people and himself.

While declaring the results for Isoko Federal House of Representatives, the  returning officer, Prof. Almond said: “The earlier declaration of inconclusive election for  Isoko Federal constituency, over Enwhe community  election that was disrupted, has been reversed by INEC after due consultation.”

Earlier, the election was declared inconclusive by Professor  Almond, because of disruption  that made  over 10,000 registered voters  to be  disenfranchised in Enwhe community.