Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori has charged electoral umpires to ensure free, fair, transparent, and credible elections that will generally reflect the will of the people.
Governor Oborevwori who gave the charge while swearing-in Chairman and members of the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission DSIEC, on Monday in Asaba, said Nigerians from all walks of life were desirous of an electoral process where the will of the people would prevail.
Those sworn-in include; Dr Jerry Agbaike as Chairman while Mr James Umukoro; Mr Friday Seimode; Mrs Light Diden; Mr Imasua Azogbulem; Mr Chris Onwuma and Chief Frank Oru are members.
The Governor also swore-in the Chairman and members of the Delta State Local Government Service Commission with Hon. Joseph Otirhue as Chairman; while Mr. Anslem Nwokenye; Dame Minnie Igbrude and Hon. Philomena Ededey are members.
Similarly, Delta State Contributory Health Commission has Dr. Austin Obidi as Chairman and Dr. Isaac Akpoveta as Director-General.
He said the primary responsibility of (DSIEC) is to organize, undertake, and supervise all elections to local government councils within the state in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as altered).
Governor Oborevwori said that members of the Commission were carefully selected to reflect the values of probity, accountability, and strength of character that they should possess.
He urged members of the Commission to ensure that the will of voters prevails at all times in all elections they will organise.
The Governor said: “It goes without saying that Nigerians from all walks of life are desirous of an electoral process where the will of the people prevail. Deltans are no exception.
“Hence, I charge the new members of DSIEC to model the values of honesty, transparency, impartiality, courage, and respect for the rule of law.
“As we gear up for the local government elections in 2024, it is my earnest expectation that you will hit the ground running.
“It is important that you immediately begin the process of interfacing with all registered political parties in the State and ensure free flow of information from the Commission to them and other relevant stakeholders.
“The rules and procedures for electioneering campaigns must be clearly spelt out and in a timely fashion.
“In order to have free, fair, transparent, and credible elections, electoral officers, especially ad-hoc staff, must be adequately trained.
“This has been a major undoing with elections in Nigeria, and I trust that you will avoid the ugly scenario of electoral officers who are clueless about their job by ensuring that they are grounded in sound democratic election processes.
“Similarly, I expect you to guide against the recurring problems of late arrivals of electoral materials and personnel to the polling units. This will ensure a seamless voting process and elicit voter confidence”.
For the Chairman and Members of the Delta State Local Government Service Commission, Governor Oborevwori said they have the important role of supervising the management of the affairs of the local government councils, especially as it relates to the recruitment, promotion, discipline, and career development of staff of the councils.
He said members of the Commission are persons of integrity who will discharge their mandate without bias, prejudice, and favouritism. I am confident that the new Chairman and Members of the Commission meet the above criteria.
“As the third tier of government, local government councils are very critical in the governance process because they are the arm of government closest to the grassroots.
“Hence, for the policies and programmes of any government to have the desired impact, the local government councils must be alive to their constitutional responsibilities.
“To achieve our objective of inclusive governance and enhanced service delivery at the grassroots level, I charge the new members to provide strong and effective leadership that will strengthen local government administration for the purpose of meeting the needs and aspirations of our people.
“Furthermore, your decisions must be fair, just, and transparent in order to deliver a highly professional and motivated workforce. In all your policies and actions, you should strive to boost professionalism, develop leadership skills in the workforce, and deepen the organizational capacity of the councils,” he said.
He urged the Chairman and Director-General of the Delta State Contributory Health Commission to exhibit the virtues of probity, transparency and accountability in their quest for Universal Health Coverage for Deltans.
Responding on behalf of the appointees, Dr Austin Obidi thanked Governor Oborevwori for finding them fit to serve and pledged to uphold the principles of probity, transparency and accountability in the discharge of their duties.
He said no efforts will be spared in their quest to contribute in advancing the M.O.R.E Agenda of the administration.
The State Deputy Governor, Sir Monday Onyeme, Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Arthur Akpowowo, State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Kingsley Esiso, Professor Sam Oyovbaire, Air Vice Marshall Frank Ajobena and Chief Mrs Nkem Okwuofu were among dignitaries that attended the ceremony.
