2023 election rigging: Look elsewhere, not in Benue – Ortom

Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom has declared that nobody will be allowed to rig elections in Benue in 2023 general election.

Ortom said such attempt would be met with stiff resistance, insisting that his administration would insist on free and fair elections in the State.

He stated this at the PDP’s expanded caucus meeting which held at the Benue People’s House, Makurdi.

He said the recently held council elections in the state where the PDP won all the 23 chairmanship slots and 276 councillors in the state was a testimony of the people’s appreciation of the PDP administration in the state.

According to him, PDP’s forthcoming primaries would be jealously guarded, hence, nobody will be allowed to disrupt the exercise, stressing that he will personally be present with his cabinet members.

Ortom warned, “any member of my cabinet that will go there (primaries) and do any form of shortchanging, will be sacked the same day”.

Ortom used the occasion to congratulate the winners for various positions at the just concluded local government elections in the State, stressing that “I participated. I voted. It was very smooth, free and fair,” he added.

On his part, the State Chairman of PDP, Sir John Ngbede, said the PDP Ward Congress of Saturday, 30th April, 2022 was hugely successful, except for a pocket of complaints from a few LGAs which he said would be addressed by the appeal committee.

Ngbede warned against use of thugs to cause mayhem in the forthcoming party primaries, saying anyone caught with such act would be handed over to the security agencies for prosecution, “no matter the status of the individual”.