Benue Gubernatorial Election Inconclusive - INEC Declares

After an intense political battle involving eminent citizens of Benue state on either side of Senator Akume’s All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Samuel Ortom’s Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), the March 9 governorship polls has been declared inconclusive.

At the state’s Collation Centre located within the INEC headquarters in Makurdi on Monday, the Collation Officer, Professor Sebastine Maimako presented the thirty-three participating political parties’ results, including that of APC which got 329, 022 votes and the PDP with 410, 576.

He said;

“First maximum vote, PDP with 410, 586, APC with 329, 022 with margin of lead, 81, 554.
“Total cancelled votes documented is 122, 019; on the basis of this, I hereby declare the election inconclusive.”

Immediately, the PDP agent, Alex Ter Adum rose, citing constitutional provisions, portions of the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines which made such decision appear grossly unfair to the PDP and its candidate.