By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
Suspected thugs on Tuesday evening disrupted the Election of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights,CDHR in Delta State. The thugs allegedly harassed Barr. Henry Ekine and Idris Afeez, CDHR National Legal Adviser and Publicity Secretary respectively. Barr. Ekine had to halt the election when one of the thugs shocked hands into his eyes.
A member of the CDHR in Delta State, Comrade Derrick Oritsematosan Agberen in a chat with Our Correspondent said the immediate past Delta State CDHR Chairman, Comrade(Elder)A.P. Edariese allegedly imported the thugs to the venue of the election in Ekete Community,Udu Local Government Area.
Comrade Agberen said the election came to an abrupt end at about 7:30pm as they(members) had to live. He said Comrade Edariese in a fraudulent manner wanted to install his son as they State Chairman, a move other members of the Committee were against. According to him,”He fraudulently set up some units to organize the election because the whole units were against him.
“Apart from his own unit in Owhase and one other unit, he illegally constituted two units to make it four to do the election. And over eight(8)units are against him. He saw those our arguments there. He just wanted to do it.
“He was trying to disenfranchise over five(5) units so he can use those units he created unconstitutionally to do the election.”
Comrade Agberen also said,”The Observers that came from National, NEC Officials, they were pointing everything and using the constitution. He knows if they use the constitution, there’s no way he can win the election or install his son or anybody as the chairman. That was what he wanted to do to install and impose on people.”
He lamented that these are some of the things human right organizations talk against government that they’re now involved in as a group.
He also pointed that,”these were some of the things that brought faction, Taiga’s faction in Delta State.”
While noting that members of the Committee are trying to revive from its old wounds, Comrade Agberen said the tenure of Comrade Edariese had expired .
“They arranged cult boys from Owhase to that place and majority of those boys I know them because I stayed in Owhase before. So, I know them. But when I came out, they saw me ND I took all of them to one corner and I was talking to them. That old man paid them four thousand naira each to come and disrupt the election. It got to the point that even the observers that came, they were even pushing them. Our legal adviser , somebody was pushing I’m and shooking his hands into his eyes. So, that’s how they got up that there’s no way the election will hold that they will set up a Caretaker Committee and we will hear from them.”
Comrade Agberen expressed shock to hear that a new executive to pilot the affairs of the Delta State CDHR has been elected and sworn-in after an election that was conducted by one Comrade Olorunwo Alfred A.K.A Comrade Black, a representative of CDHR’s National President.
“We’re getting information this morning that Chairman went to his house in Owhase a d hand picked some persons. His own Vice Chairman, he hand picked and made him chairman through this illegal process. The NEC will take decisive action against him. We know they will suspend him.”
Comrade Agberen also said the immediate past Chairman,Edariese was abandoned because of his attitudinal problems in the State.
CDHR National Legal Adviser, Barr. Henry Ekine is yet to reply to a text message sent to him to confirm his position on the matter. Calls were made across to his mobile phone line but it appears he was a journey back to Port-Court,Rivers State and as such he wasn’t hearing Our Correspondent.