The All Progressives Congress (APC) has emerged victorious in the local government chairmanship elections held across Benue state’s 23 local government areas on Saturday, October 5, 2024.
According to the official result announced by the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) chairman, Terlumun Tombowua on Sunday, the APC won all of the chairmanship seats, with its candidates declared winners in all the 23 local governments.
He also said the party also won all the councillorship positions in all the 276 council wards in the state.
The election, which was widely observed as peaceful and transparent, however witnessed a low voter turnout in which residents came out to exercise their civic duty.
Governor Hyacinth Alia, who welcomed the outcome, attributed the APC’s success to the party’s commitment to grassroots development and the people’s trust in its leadership.
“This victory is a testament to our party’s dedication to empowering local communities and delivering dividends of democracy. We will continue to work tirelessly to address the needs of our people and ensure Benue State remains on the path of progress,” he said.
The opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Associate Professor Cletus Tyokyaa have congratulated the APC on its victory.
Tyokyaa described the election as peaceful and transparent and commended governor Alia for the level playing ground he created for the conduct of the election.
Chairman of the Benue state chapter of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Ibrahim Idoko, also congratulated the APC for the victory at the local government election.
Meanwhile, the senator representing Benue South and Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro, Sunday, condemned the elections and described it as a sham and an insult to democracy.
Moro said reports from polling units across his senatorial district indicated that the election did not hold as election materials and officials of the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) were nowhere to be found, except in APC leaders’ premises where ballots were allegedly thumb-printed for their candidates.
Moro is a statement signed by his media adviser, Emmanuel Eche’Ofun John, expressed disappointment in Governor Hyacinth Alia for not standing by his campaign promises of truth and due process.
“As a priest, I expected the governor to champion a paradigm shift by doing what is right, rather than repeating past mistakes.”
The senator stated that democracy was fiercely fought for, with some paying the ultimate price and vowed that anti-democratic forces will not be allowed to undermine the system.
Moro also urged members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to remain calm, assuring that everything legally possible will be done to challenge the election outcome in court and ensure a free, fair, and credible election that allows the electorate to choose their local government leaders.
