The 2019 election may have come and gone with winners and losers emerging but reactions have continued to follow its conduct with the latest being the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom who has revealed why the people of the state voted him for a second term.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, the governor stated that people of the state saw hope in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The governor also insisted that his victory was a clear case of God’s might through people of the state, adding that the “rigging machine” of APC collapsed in most parts of the state.
The statement reads: “What happened in the 2019 elections in Benue State was a clear case of God’s Might through the people. Voters of the State chose to reject damaging propaganda anchored on falsehood and stood on the side of truth to vote for Governor Ortom in whom they saw hope for a greater Benue and the assurance of their existence as a people.
“PDP offered the people love and reason to be trusted while APC threatened the people with impunity and vengeance.
“It is on record that Peoples Democratic Party, PDP won the 2019 presidential election in Benue State, three Senatorial seats and six House of Representatives positions leaving APC with just one House of Representatives seat.
“In addition to emerging victorious in the governorship election, PDP also won majority of the seats in the 30-member Benue State House of Assembly, leaving APC with only six seats.
“We thought that the statistics of this defeat will humble APC and make them to accept the fact that Benue people have rejected the party as it has now lost its place as main opposition party to other political parties who did much better in this year’s polls.
“APC’s rigging machine collapsed under the watchful eyes of Benue voters in most parts of the State even after they succeeded in manipulating the polls in Tarka local government area and a few other places.
“It should be recalled that when the 9th March, 2019 governorship election was declared inconclusive in Benue State, APC members across the State rolled out drums in jubilation. They hailed Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC saying the commission was ‘properly guided’ in it’s decision to call for supplementary election.
“A few days later, when it became obvious that their plot to force INEC to declare their governorship candidate winner would not succeed, leaders and members of APC began to blackmail and criticize the electoral umpire.
“The truth remains that in all the areas APC claims that PDP rigged the election, they have not provided evidence to back their claims. If they have any proof of manipulation, the Elections Tribunal is the right place to channel such grievances not pages of newspapers.”
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