…Senator Moro kicks, says election a charade
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State at the weekend won the October 55th local government elections in all the 276 councillors and 23 chairmanship positions in the state’s 23 Local Government Areas of the state.
Chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC), Barr. Richard Tombowua declared the results at the BSIEC headquarters in Makurdi on Sunday.
Barr. Tombowua said eight including APC, APM, PDP, SDP, and Labour Party (LP) fielded candidates for the election but only five took part in the exercise.
He said there were no cases of ballot paper snatching, or rigging and no record of electoral violence across the local government areas, and commended the political parties for their commitment to a peaceful election.
The BSIEC boss also commended the people of the state for trooping out en masse to exercise their civic rights and commended security agencies for ensuring peace and orderliness throughout the voting process.
Chairman of the Labour Party in the state, Comrade Ibrahim Idoko, lauded the Commission for organizing free and credible elections.
Otene who is also the State Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), said even though there were little hitches, the election was peacefully conducted as there was no violence across the state.
On his part, the Benue State APC caretaker committee chairman, Dr. Benjamin Omale commended Governor Hyacinth Alia and the BSIEC for their commitment towards the election.
Meanwhile, Senator Abba Moro has rejected the outcome of the election saying it was a charade.
Senator Moro who represents Benue South Senatorial District and Senate Minority Leader, in a statement by his media aide Emmanuel Eche’Ofun John, described it as a sham and an insult to democracy.
Senator Moro says reports from polling units across his senatorial district indicate that the election did not hold as electoral materials and officials of the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) were not seen anywhere except in the premises of APC leaders where ballots were thumb-printed for their candidates.
The Senator expressed disappointment in Governor of Hyacinth Alia, for not standing by the truth and due process as promised during his electioneering campaign.
He said he expected the governor, as a priest, to push for a paradigm shift by doing what’s right, and not referencing and copying what was wrongly done in the past.
According to him, democracy was fiercely fought for, with some people paying the supreme price, and stated that anti-democratic forces would not be allowed to destroy the system.
The Senate Minority Leader enjoined members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to remain calm as everything legally possible will be done to challenge the charade in a court of competent jurisdiction and ensure that a free, fair and credible election that will afford the electorate the opportunity to choose their leaders at the local government level is conducted.