A prominent member of the Obidient Elders Council and Labour Party chieftain in Delta State, Delly Ajufo, has made a bold claim that the Labour Party actually won both the presidential and governorship elections in Delta State during the 2023 general elections.

Speaking during an interview on Arise News, Ajufo contradicted the official results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), insisting that his party secured victories that were not reflected in the announced outcomes.

"The tsunami that greeted the presidential election in Delta State was unprecedented for Labour Party, and some of us, including myself, were offered humongous sums of money to support the ruling party, the PDP. I rejected it on principle," Ajufo stated.

He further alleged that Labour Party agents faced intimidation during the collation process. "During the collation, our people were thoroughly brutalized. We have figures to show that in Delta State, Labour Party won the election at both the governorship and presidential levels," he claimed.

Official Results vs. Labour Party Claims

According to INEC's official presidential election results for Delta State, Labour Party secured 160,123 votes, significantly outperforming both the All Progressives Congress (APC) with 45,074 votes and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with 67,567 votes.

However, the governorship election results painted a different picture. INEC declared PDP the winner with approximately 360,000 votes, followed by APC with around 240,000 votes, while Labour Party trailed with just over 48,000 votes.

Ajufo's claim suggests that these governorship results do not reflect the actual voting pattern in the state. "It was also attested to by the former deputy Chairman of APC South South during his interview with Dr. Pat Utomi recently on the radio station," he added, attempting to provide corroboration for his assertions.

On Recent Political Defections

Addressing the wave of political defections in Delta State, Ajufo used strong language to criticize politicians who have switched allegiances, particularly to the APC.

"We have harlots of Jericho in Delta State—people who will use their positions to invite foreigners to invade them and occupy the territory. They are protecting their loot," he remarked.

The Labour Party chieftain predicted significant internal conflicts within the APC due to these defections. "There will be a serious implosion [in the APC]. Look at the characters that have defected for personal interest, all of them, without exception."

He specifically highlighted potential tensions in Delta North, where he claimed multiple defectors are vying for the same positions. "If you talk about Delta North, it will be worse, because those defecting are all gone for the same positions. I wonder how it's going to pan out."

Ajufo expressed confidence that these defections would not negatively impact the Labour Party's standing in Delta State, concluding, "So let them go. We are waiting for them. It's not going to affect anything."