Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
As Benue prepares for the supplementary elections this Saturday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that only 109,733 prospective voters have collected their PVCs and are eligible to vote out of the 121,299 eligible voters in the affected local government areas.
The electoral umpire also noted that the supplementary elections will be holding in 204 polling units in 22 out of the 23 local government areas, except in Katsina-Ala local government area of the state.
Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Benue Dr Nentawe Yilwatda, who made this known during the stakeholders meeting organized by the commission on Wednesday, revealed further that the governorship supplementary election will hold in 22 out of 23 local governments while the State House of Assembly will hold in nine local governments.
The REC, who noted that the meeting was to help the Commission improve on the lapses experienced in the previous elections, said the mandate of the Commission is to conduct free, fair and credible elections in the state and nothing more.
Yilwatda, who posited that the Commission did not have any special interest for any political party or candidate, warned observers acting as party agents during the collation of results in the last elections to desist or face arrest and prosecution.