Sources said the SUV largesse to the Commission would allegedly make the recipients to compromise the outcome of the election for the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), citing “He that plays the piper, detacts the tune”.
The Commission however confirmed that it received eight Toyoto SUV Jeeps from the state governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, two weeks ahead of the local government Election.
The spokeman of the Commission, Mr. Arubi Orugboh, said that the vehicles were allocated to the commission’s chairman, Mr. Mike Ogbodu, Secretary, and other commissioners.
Mr. Orugboh said the government vehicles are not meant to bribe and or influence the commission but “all the recipients are by law entitled to a vehicle each”.
He said the allegation that government bought the vehicles to induce the commission to compromise and declare PDP winner in the forthcoming council Election is porous and malicious.
Hear him: “Firstly, the commission was sworn in some years back, this is the first tenure of the Commission, By all standards, we are entitled to a vehicle for the Chairman, Secretary but since then because of pausity of funds or other challenges the government of the day had not been able to fufil that obligation.
Government has been promising that money would be made available for the purchase of the vehicles but nothing was done till recently. Some months ago, the funds to purchase the vehicle of the Chairman was released.
“Ordinarily, we are supposed to be given these vehicles, when you check our laws, it is there. By all staandards, it is our entitlement. So, it is not a bribe or whatever, so those statements made by some perosns are unfounded. Those statements were made to malign the state government and the Commission.
“In time past, members of the Commission have been given vehicles in view of money paid by the government. It is either you are given a vehicle or money, some former members of the Commission collected money and left vehicles. This is not a new thing.
“The six commissioners and the secretary were given their vehicles last week. Normally, it is when funds are available that the government would release the money. We are not supposed when the Government releasees the money. No matter what, let them receive their vehicle. If they do not receive their vehicle, it would be a bad tenureship for the Commissioners because their predecessors received theirs.
On whether the time for the released of the vehicles not suspicious, the commission spokeman simply said “It is not suspicious, going by what I have explained to you, there is nothing suspicious. I do not see any suspicion in it”.
According to him, “There has been no monetary rewards for the Chairman and the Commissioners. We are very prepared and the elections are going to hold. We have deployed our non-sensitive materials while the other materials would be deployed on a later date. Then we would meet with the security architecture in the state for protection.
“We got speedboat available in the riverine areas. We have zonal offices in the 25 local government area of Delta State headed by Chief electoral officers who represent the Commission as the field offices.
