The member representing Ughelli North, Ughelli South and Udu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Rep. Francis Waive, has expressed deep concern over the steady decline in voter strength in Delta Central Senatorial District, warning that the trend poses a serious threat to the political relevance of the region.
Speaking at the Delta Central APC leaders and stakeholders meeting held at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) Conference Centre, Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area,
Rep. Waive said Delta Central once accounted for about 60 percent of total votes in Delta State when the state was created in 1991.
He lamented that the figure has dropped drastically to about 30 percent, even though the senatorial district had not experienced war, natural disaster or any pandemic that could justify such a decline in voting figures.
The lawmaker, visibly worried about the statistics, said some local governments that produced over 50,000 votes in past election cycles now struggle to achieve significantly lower numbers.
“Something is going wrong,” he warned.
“If we, the current political leaders, fail to act, our population will continue to shrink. Another census is coming, but even more urgent is the ongoing voter registration.”
Rep. Waive urged political leaders across Delta Central to take responsibility for reversing the downward trend by aggressively mobilising eligible voters to register in the ongoing Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) voter registration exercise.
He emphasised that every young adult aged 18 and above must be encouraged to register, adding that even indigenes living outside the state should return home to register.
According to him, failure to act now could lead future generations to describe today’s leaders in Urhobo land as “political eunuchs”, a reputation he insisted must be avoided at all costs.
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The federal lawmaker stressed that political strength is directly tied to voter numbers, noting that even electoral manipulation has limits.
“Even if you want to rig an election, you can only rig to the extent of the number of registered voters you have. If your unit has only 100 registered voters, then 100 is your maximum,” he said.
Rep. Waive urged leaders to take the mobilisation campaign to every ward, unit and community, noting that the level of victory for the APC presidential and governorship candidates in Delta Central is what will ultimately determine the district’s influence both in Asaba and Abuja.
He assured party faithful that the APC is poised for victory, but warned that without strong voter numbers from Delta Central, the district would lose its pride of place in state and national politics.
