Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom and his wife, Eunice, voted at the LGEA Primary School polling unit, Ako in Gbajimba in Guma Local Government Area.
The governor, who arrived the polling unit about 9:27am, met large number of voters who had earlier besieged the venue to exercise their franchise.
Accreditation of voters and voting were done simultaneously going on in most of the polling units visited. Speaking with newsmen after casting his vote, Ortom acknowledged that the process was free and fair even as he called on his people to be peaceful and law abiding as they cast their votes.
He, however, expressed concern at the technical hitches encountered with the card readers in some polling units in his hometown.
The governor said he had earlier reported that the card readers in two polling units in Nzorov council ward were not working. He expressed fear that some people may be disenfranchised if nothing was done to ameliorate the problem, while urging INEC to as a matter of urgency, rectify the problems being witnessed in some polling units across the state.
He also expressed worry about the arrest of the PDP state central agent, Dr Cletus Tyokyaa, a lecturer with the University of Agriculture Makurdi, by security agents on the flimsy excuse that he was training thugs.
“They said he was training thugs and by 5a.m today, they went to his house. They did not see any thug but they arrested him. This will not be allowed,”