INEC Declares Benue Governorship Election Inconclusive

From George Okoh In Makurdi

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Monday, declared the governorship election in Benue State inconclusive .

The People’s Democratic Party candidate and governor of the state, Samuel Ortom, scored the highest valid votes of 410,576 in 12 local government areas, followed by the All Progressives Congress candidate, Barrister Emmanuel Jime, who scored 329,022.

State Returning Officer for the Benue state governorship election, Prof. Sebastien Maimako, who announced the result, at the INEC headquarters in Makurdi, said that the commission would schedule a date to conduct a supplementary elections in all the areas elections were cancelled.

Professor Maimako noted that the governorship election became inconclusive due to the fact that the total number of accredited voters in areas where election was not held, was more than the margin of lead.

He further said, given the 81,554 margin of lead and the total number of cancelled votes which stood at 121,019, the election could not be declared as conclusive.

Prof. Maimako said: “By the first maximum votes of 410,576 scored by PDP and the second maximum votes of 329,022 scored by APC, 81,554 is the margin of lead. Therefore, the total number of rejected votes in the areas where election was not held is above the margin of lead which is 121,019.

“I, Professor Sebastien Maimako, by the power conferred on me as state returning officer for the governorship election, hereby declare that the governorship election is inconclusive and supplementary elections will be conducted in a date that would be announce later by INEC.”

The total number of registered voters was put at 2, 480,131 , while accredited voters was 816,969. The valid votes was put at 790,102, while rejected votes was 14,460 and total number of votes cast was 804,662.

In the breakdown l, APC won in Ado, Oju, Obi, Ohimini, Tarka, Katsina-Ala, Makurdi, Apa, Otukpo, Ogbadibo and Okpokwu LGAs, while PDP won in GwerWest, GwerEast, Ushongo, Agatu, Logo, Guma, Gboko, Buruku, Ukum, Kwande, Vandeikya and Konshisha LGAs respectively.