Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, has advised voters in places where the governorship and other rerun elections are to be conducted next Saturday, March 23, 2019, to turn out and exercise their civic duty.
The governor who gave the advice in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and ICT, Tahav Agerzua, also appealed to the electorate to turn up early for the exercise.
He also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address identified lapses so as to ensure a hitch-free, transparent, fair and credible poll.
“The governor wishes that the voters would brave all the odds including real and imaginary and unusual security deployment and ensure that they exercise their franchise as well as guard and protect their votes.”
While reiterating his pledge that the state government would support the security agencies to maintain law and order in all parts of the state, Ortom urged them to conduct themselves professionally and do not allow any individual or organisation to exert undue influence on them.
“The governor who expresses appreciation to the Benue electorate for voting massively for the PDP is confident that the people will seal the renewal of the mandate they gave him freely and massively in 2015 by consolidating on his lead at the March 9 governorship polls on Saturday.”