Delta Local Election: PDP wins all 25 chairmanship seats

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won all 25 local government chairmanship seats in the Delta Local Government election held across the state on Saturday.

The party also clinched 499 of the 500 councillorship seats, losing one to the Allied Peoples Movement in Oshimili North Local Government Area.

Jerry Agbaike, the chairperson of Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC), announced the results at the commission’s headquarters in Asaba on Sunday.

However, Mr Agbaike said the election was not held in the Udu Local Government Area as the PDP chairmanship candidate was returned unopposed.

The DSIEC chairperson also issued Certificates of Return to the elected local council chairperson to mark the end of the exercise.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State and other PDP chiefs had earlier predicted victory for the party’s candidates.

After casting his vote on Saturday, Mr Oborevwori said he was confident of victory in an election he described as transparent, free and fair.

The governor also expressed support for the local government autonomy, claiming he did not, for this reason, constitute caretaker committees at the end of the tenure of the immediate past chairpersons.

“The Supreme Court judgement has no effect here in Delta State because we don’t tamper with local government funds.

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“As a former speaker, we were at the forefront of the issue of autonomy for the legislature and the judiciary. So, that judgment does not affect us here in Delta State.

“In the past, the state government cleared monies owed by local governments.

“The Joint Accounts Allocation Committee is just a monitoring process to ensure transparency,” Mr Oborevwori said.