LG Poll: Anenih urges Edo PDP to seek legal redress, Extols Orbih’s exemplary leadership

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, has urged the Edo State chapter of the party to explore legal options towards reclaiming its stolen mandates in the October 22, chairmanship and councillorship elections in Esan North- East Local Government Area of the state.

Anenih’s counsel was contained in a letter of commendation to the state chairman of the party, Chief Dan Orbih, in which he extolled his (Orbih’s) steadfast and exemplary leadership in ensuring that the party members mobilised for the election and did not take the law into their hands in the face of provocation by the All Progressives Congress, APC, administration in the state.

In the letter dated October 28 and titled: “Letter of Commendation,” Anenih, who hails from the council, said: “It is with a deep sense of satisfaction that I write to commend your steadfast and unparalleled leadership of our great party in Edo State.

“You have, without wavering, led our party with commitment and discipline in and out of elections; and surely your exemplary leadership is, indeed, noteworthy.

“I am particularly happy with the excellent performance of our party in the just-held chairmanship and councillorship elections in Esan North East Local Government.”

“It is on record that the first time; April 20, 2013, when local government election was held state wide, the electoral materials for the election in Esan North East Local Government Area arrived late and even then were incomplete causing the election to be cancelled.”

Anenih recalled that the people voted massively for the PDP in the rescheduled election on April 24 in a free and fair exercise, but lamented that the election was scuttled by the disappearance of ward collation officers and the LGA returning officer.

He added that at the October 22 election, the victory of the PDP was once more stolen, saying that even while voting and collation were still in progress, the APC chairmanship candidate was declared winner in Benin City in the face of glaring victory by the PDP.

He further lamented: “Furthermore, all 11 PDP councillorship candidates who won the election, and with Certificates of Return in their hands, have not been sworn in. We know that in the past, even those PDP councillorship candidates in other local government areas who were declared winners by the state Electoral Tribunal were not sworn in.

“Rather, those ACN candidates who lost both at the elections and at the tribunals have since been sworn in. Presently, APC councillorship candidates have been sworn in without results.”

Assuring of his support for the PDP in the state, Anenih extended his appreciation to all party members for their loyalty and courage even as he admitted that “it will hurt for a little while.”

He said: “I would also like to use this medium, therefore, to urge you to explore the legal option towards reclaiming the stolen mandates which the good people of Esan North East Local Government Area gave to our chairmanship and councillorship candidates in the October 22, 2013 elections.”