Ahead of the 2024 Local Government Council elections slated for March next year across the 25 Local Government Council Area of the State, the Delta State Government has been accused of refusing to reconstitute a new board of the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC)
The Commission has been tear apart in its administrative activities since the government has failed in all ramification to reconstitute a new board that will pilot the affairs of the Commission for 5years.
Deltans are worried over the happenings in the Commission since the termination of the board headed by Chief (Barr) Mike Ogbdu on september 25, 2022.
With the amendments of DSIEC law, 2017 which allows a state Independent Electoral Commission to comprise the chairman, 6 electoral commissioners and one secretary to coordinate the secretariat.
By the law establishing the board of the DSIEC, the responsibility of the Commission is to conduct the Local Government Elections in the State within a space of three years as stipulated by the constitution.
It is interesting to note that the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission that was established in October, 1999 in line with section 197 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, has nothing on ground to convince Deltans that the Commission is prepared to conduct next year’s election on a level play ground.
Sources revealed that the tenure of the present elected Local Government Council members, will be expiring in 10 months time yet the board has not been constituted.
Presently, the Commission has no chairman, members and a substentive secretary to initiate the preparatory activities for the 2024 Local Government elections which Deltans are tongue lashing the state government for its inability to reconstitute a new board of the Commission.
Investigations revealed that the Commission is understaffed, with only one Legal Officer in the whole legal department.
Other issue confronting the Commission is office accommodation that is currently affecting the headquarter and Local Government Offices.
Most offices are on rented buildings with backlogs of rents that prompts their landlords to embarrass them every now and then for lack of finances.
Beside, as the new board of the Commission of the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission has not been constituted, the facts remain that the Commission is on the verge of collapse as election activities are time bound.
Also, for DSIEC to regain its lost glory, the Commission should be provided with all the necessary logistics to function effectively and the government should make frantic efforts to inaugurate the board of DSIEC without delay. If this is done, it makes elections at the grass roots to be in the memory lane of the citizens of the state.
It was learnt that the Commission could not access their budget following the inability of the State Government to constitute a new board.
What is accrueable to the Commission is the monthly subvention of 500,000 naira which is use for paying 4 police officers attached to the Commission and other minor expenditures as it concerns the day to day administration of the Commission.
