By Emma Arubi
WARRI-An All Progressives Congress, APC stalwart and Leader of the Legislative arm of the Warri South-West Council representing Akpakpa-Ajudiabo Ward in Escravos, Hon. Thomas Emami was during the polls at Ogbe-Ijoh given the beaten of his life by persons he termed Peoples Democratic Party, PDP members.
Narrating his ordeal to newsmen at his residence, Hon. Emami, a younger sibling of the Ologbotsere of Warri kingdom, Chief Ayiri Emami who is currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed clinic said he was badly beaten up twice at Ogbe-Ijoh, headquarters of the Council for attempting to ensure that electoral materials were not tempered with and evenly distributed, saying that “it was the police that rescued me on both occasion at the jetty and the DESIEC office where the material were to be distributed”.
“ They are all PDP members that did it. Election did not hold there. Some community youths also assisted the police to rescue me. They pounded me with all manner of weapons, took my 2 GSM phones, tore my clothes into shred and took all the cash on me. They also linked my elder to be behind the recent Aladja/Ogbe-Ijoh crisis as a major sponsor”.
Speaking in anguish with a sprained neck and swollen face, Hon. Emami appealed to the Federal Government to relocate the headquarters of Warri South-West council to Ogidigben saying that “was the original headquarters before the state government relocated it to Ogbe-Ijoh”.
He further called on the Presidency to ensure the presence of more security personnel in the area for the security of lives and property noting that he has already reported the matter to the police.
Meanwhile, the state electoral umpire, DESIEC has declared that the ruling PDP in the state has swept 25 of the 27 councils already even as key APC chieftain has maintained that there were no elections whatsoever across most of the council areas as PDP thugs rove the whole place intimidating and allegedly threatening all APC known members.
APC gubernatorial candidate in the last general election, Chief Otega Emerho stated that “what the Okowa –led PDP government just did was a PDP jamboree. They did not provide the sensitive material required for election and when the voters asked question they were brutalized and the DESIEC office burnt down to cover their criminal act that the action was perpetrated by the APC. There was no election in Delta state. No election in Ughelli South and North, Udu, Uvwie, Otujeremi etc
But Senator James Manager representing Delta South in the National Assembly, Hon Pondi of the House of Representatives, Commissioner Safugha and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Sherriff Obowowhori all of the PDP described the election as free, fair and very credible even as they commended security agents for ensuring a peaceful and successful local government polls in the state.
