Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has said that the people of Benue are now wiser and more determined to defend their votes without giving room for any manipulation in the forthcoming elections.
Speaking on Saturday during his campaign in Vandeikya and Ushongo Local Government Areas of the state, Ortom assured that the forthcoming elections in the state would not be rigged because there will be no room for rigging.
He allayed the fears of the people as a result of speculations in some quarters that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would use federal might to rig the general elections as well as manipulate results.
”This is not going to be possible because we will vote and guard our votes jealously. We are not going to allow that to happen in Benue. We will certainly leave nothing to chance.
”The PDP will not take the speculation of using the federal might to rig for granted. We will surely guard against it to forestall it coming to fruition,” he said.
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While appealing to the people to cast their votes for him and all other candidates of the PDP both at the federal and state levels, Ortom assured the people that if reelected, he would not disappoint them, stressing that he would deliver on his mandate by ensuring they get good governance.
”I want to implore you to vote en masse for all the PDP candidates. Do not select the candidates to vote for in PDP. Vote all of them no matter the circumstance,” he said.
Also speaking, immediate past governor of the state, Dr. Gabriel Suswam, averred that the APC led government had neglected the Tiv people who are the fourth largest tribe in the country.
”There is no Tiv man in the current cabinet unlike what was obtainable in the past. Both the civilian and the military regimes had given the Tiv people ministerial appointments and other key offices. But this is not so with this government.
”This is the first time in history that we are experiencing this ugly development. As a result of that, the APC administration should be voted out and PDP voted in,” he said.
In a remark, State Chairman of the PDP, John Ngbede while enjoining the people to vote for all the PDP candidates also urged them to guard their votes to avoid rigging.
A political chieftain in Benue North East, Demenongo Unom, said it was important that Ortom is reelected as a reward for fearlessly defending the Benue people.