Presidential, NASS Elections In Benue Roundly Rigged – Ortom

The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom on Wednesday alleged that the presidential and National Assembly (NASS) elections in the state were roundly rigged.

Ortom stated this while commission­ing about twelve projects across Makurdi, the Benue State capi­tal, on Wednesday.

According to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governor, the election held on the 25th of February, 2023 was rigged elec­tronically, clinically and scien­tifically.

The projects which were commissioned included a Gully Erosion Control Mea­sures in North Bank; the exten­sion of electricity from High Court, North Bank to Ornyiev Lay-out; the commissioning of a ward and theatre block at the Benue State University Teach­ing Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi; the commissioning of a Magnet­ic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine as well as the commis­sioning of two Infectious Dis­ease Dialysis machines.

Others are the commission­ing of John Ujoh Street junction; the commissioning of unconvicted prisoners’ cells; commissioning of Nigeria Correctional Centre Service, Maximum Security Custodian Centre at the state correctional centre, Makurdi; NKST Primary School, Kua, and the commissioning of the Ministry of Urban Develop­ment office complex.

Ortom further stated that his legal team as well as that of the PDP are studying the situation surrounding the elec­tion and would soon come out with a position.

Governor Ortom, who was in high spirits ahead of the gov­ernorships election on Saturday, said they were yet to see the end of the matter.

According to him, “The election was rigged clinically, electronically, scientifically and otherwise.

“However, I am not angry at anyone who may not have vot­ed for me in the election. But I want to let you know that it is not over yet.

“My party, the Peoples Dem­ocratic Party (PDP) is ready to challenge the outcome of the elections at the tribunal.

“My party has already con­tacted her lawyers and they are looking at the results with a view to approaching the tribu­nal, and I am confident that the party will recover all her stolen mandates.

“Leader­ship is given by God’ and he was not angry at anyone who may have voted against him during the election.”

He called on the people of Benue state to vote massively for the governorship candidate of the PDP in the state, Titus Uba.

Ortom noted that voting Uba in the Saturday governorship election equals continuation of develop­ment in the state.

He explained that projects like the gully erosion control measure were constructed with ecological funds, adding that the total sum for the projects was well over N500 million.

While inaugurating projects sited at the BSUTH, Ortom said patients who hitherto had to travel to Enugu, Jos or Abuja to receive treatment would now be visiting BSUTH for their health needs.

The Chief Medical Director, BSUTH, Prof. Terrumun Sw­ende, disclosed that renovation of the theatre complex block was done at the rate of half a billion naira, adding that the hospital had the best of medi­cal doctors that could compete favourably with their counter­parts across the globe.

On his own part, the contrac­tor who handled the road proj­ects, Engr. Stephen Akange, ap­preciated Governor Ortom for keeping to his contractual obli­gations, stating that the result was that he could complete the projects on time and according to specification.