Written by Peter Doull, Makurdi
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) secured a landslide victory in the Benue State local government elections held on Saturday, winning 23 chairpersonships and all 276 municipal council seats.
The elections were conducted by the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC).
Announcing the results at the commission’s headquarters in Makurdi on Sunday, BSIEC Chairman Richard Tombowa said the APC had achieved a sweeping victory in the poll which was contested by five of the eight political parties that had initially expressed interest. Confirmed.
Tombowa said the elections were largely peaceful and no major incidents were reported, except in Otukpo local government area where BSIEC officials were briefly held hostage. Thanks to the swift intervention of the police, the officials were safely returned to Makurdi.
“The APC won all 23 local government chairpersonships and all 276 councilorships in the elections,” Tombowa said.
He further said, “Initially, eight political parties expressed interest in fielding candidates; There were only five political parties,” he added. I participated in the election. ”
Tomboua explained that the delay in announcing the results was due to logistical issues and distance in collating votes across the state. He reiterated that BSIEC has fulfilled its commitment to conduct peaceful, free, fair and credible local government elections.
Reacting to the results, the National Chairman of the Labor Party Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), Ibrahim Idoko, commended the efforts of the BSIEC to ensure a peaceful and credible election.
Similarly, the APC state chairman, Mr. Benjamin Omale, commended the electoral management body for conducting a free and fair election. He also expressed his gratitude to Governor Hyacinth Arya for providing a level playing field to all political parties in the electoral process.
