The immediate past Governor of Delta State, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, after casting his vote in Ward 2, Unit 5 in the Ika North East Local Government Area, commended the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) for conducting a smooth and peaceful local government council election.
Okowa noted that DSIEC had effectively facilitated a process where people could cast their votes without any issues. “What I see here in my voting centre is that everything is going very well and very peacefully, and I believe it’s going on in the same manner across the state,” he said.
He expressed confidence in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) emerging victorious in the election, citing the extensive campaign efforts over the past month. “I attended the rallies of the Ika North East and Ika South personally, and I’ve heard stories of how campaigns have been done across all the local governments in the state, which we rounded off with the state rally on Wednesday. I think we’ve done well with our campaigns,” Okowa added.
The former governor pointed out that most other political parties did not engage in extensive campaigning, with only “some skeletal campaigns on social media.” He believes the PDP’s comprehensive campaigning will be reflected in the election results.
Okowa expressed gratitude to the people of Delta State, especially those in the Ika area where he cast his vote, for their continued support for the PDP. He is confident that the newly elected local government council chairmen and councillors will work to improve the lives of the people and enhance infrastructure development in their respective areas.
Regarding the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy, Okowa supported the decision, stating that funds meant for local government councils should be allocated without interference. He noted that during his tenure as governor, the Delta State government ensured that local government funds were not tampered with and that additional support was provided to enable them to fulfil their responsibilities, including paying primary school teachers’ salaries.
