Governorship election: Benue PDP to challenge APC’s votes at tribunal

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Benue State have vowed to challenge votes polled by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the just concluded governorship election held in the state.

Daily Trust reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had declared PDP’s Governor Samuel Ortom winner of the Benue State governorship election after he polled a total of 434, 473 votes to beat Barrister Emmanuel Jime of APC who scored 345, 155 votes to come second.

But the PDP, in a statement signed on Saturday by its State Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom, disclosed that the party’s team of lawyers will be challenging those votes at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Makurdi.

The PDP said the leadership of its party reached the decision after it received field reports indicating numerous irregularities allegedly perpetrated by APC during the polls.

“From the reports, PDP leaders met and have concluded that, given the party’s acceptance across the state, its candidate, Gov. Samuel Ortom, would certainly have posted a wider margin of votes against his closest rival, if it were not for the irregularities.

“The party also notes that the results of the Presidential, National, Governorship and State Assembly elections indicated clearly that PDP is the preferred choice of the people of the state.

“PDP re-emphasises its victory at the presidential election in the state, all the three Senators, six out of eleven House of Representatives members, while APC won just one, with other political parties winning three and one seat still declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). We also won 23 out of 30 State Assembly seats leaving APC and other parties to share the remaining tiny minority,” the PDP posited.