By Amos Aar
BOLA Ahmed Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate in the general elections conducted on Saturday February 25, 2023 won the race by scoring the highest number of votes in Benue State.
Benue State collation officer for the presidential election, Prof. Farouk Adamu Kuta, who is Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, while announcing the results in Makurdi Monday night said, Tinubu won in nine (9) local government areas while Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) won majority in fourteen (14) local government areas out of 23 LGAs of the state.
Prof. Farouk said Tinubu defeated Obi with a margin of about 2,000 votes having polled 310,468 against the LP candidate who scored 308,372 while Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) clinched third position with 130,081 votes.
According to the collation officer, the total number of registered voters in the 23 LGAs of Benue State was 2,772,977, accredited voters, 804,159, total valid votes, 770075, rejected votes, 27,687 and total vote cast, 797,762.
Reacting to the outcome of the presidential election, a PDP agent, Dr Paul Angya, described it as a conspiracy but expressed satisfaction with the result.
On his part, APC agent and state secretary of the PDP, Rt Hon. Paul Biam, okayed the due diligence displayed, adding that he was convinced by the collation process. “The collation process was free and fair”, he said.
He however noted that accreditation of voters and the actual votes cast were short of those that were accredited.
“In several instances, we sought to know why this could happen in spite of the new voting procedure where somebody is expected to get the BVAS and straight into voting. We have been told repeatedly that some persons came to do accreditation but they did not vote. So, going forward, we will try to liaise with INEC to ensure that there are no shortfalls or variations in the number of accredited voters and the actual votes cast.
“We appeal to INEC to ensure that the results instead of manual, are sent to the server as we were made to know. In most cases we were made to know that the results were not sent to the server through the electronic means. Instead, they were compiled manually and brought to the collation centre,” Biam observed.
Meanwhile, the APC swept all National Assembly (NASS) positions with the exception of Senator Abba Moro of Benue-South who retained his seat and Pastor Ojotu Ojema who won Apa/Agatu federal constituency seat.
Gov. Samuel Ortom and his immediate predecessor, and incumbent Senator, Gabriel Suswam, lost to Dr Titus Zam and Barr Emmanuel Udende for Benue North-East and Benue-North-West respectively.
The APC won ten House of Representatives Seats in Benue State out of 11 including all the 7 seats in Tiv-speaking federal constituencies of the state.
According to the results declared by returning officers for Benue zones A, B and C, Hon. Blessing Onu won Otukpo/Ohimini, Hon. David Ogewu, Oju/Obi, Hon. Philip Agbese, Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo, Chief Mrs Regina Akume, Gboko/Tarka, Arc. Achado Asema, Gwer/Gwer-West, Hon. Sekav Iyortyom, Buruku and Hon. Terseer Ugbor, Kwande/Ushongo
Others are Hon. Prince Solomon Wombo, Katsina-Ala/Ukum/Logo, Hon Dickson Tarkighir, Makurdi /Guma and Hon. Engr Sesoo Gboko, Vandeikya/ Konshisha while Comrade Ojotu Ojema of the PDP won Apa/Agatu seat.
