From Scholastica Onyeka, Makurdi
The Benue State Governorship Rescheduled Primary Elections Committee of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), has announced Reverend Fr Hyacinth Alia as winner of the governorship primary elections in the state.
Recall that the Appeal Court, in Makurdi, directed the APC to conduct a rerun elections in 137 wards of 11 Local Government Areas, (LGAs) in a judgement following a case filed by one of its aspirants, Prof Terhemba Shija.
Rising from the election which held last Thursday, Fr Alia was declared winner and the authentic candidate of the party for the 2023 general elections.
Reading the result of the election, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Basheer Lado said Alia polled 410,682 votes to beat his closet rival, Barr Sam Ode, who polled 22,319
Senator Lado explained that the total number of registered voters of the party for the election in the 23 LGAs of the state was 868,010.
Giving a breakdown of votes garnered by each of the aspirants in the 23 LGAs of the state, Lado said, Mathias Ibuan polled 14,593 votes; Architect Bernard Yisa, 581 votes; Senator Barnabas Gemade, 5,125 votes; Terlumun Ikya, 2,851 votes and Barr Sam Ode polled 22,319 votes.
Others are Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, 410,682 votes; Michael Kaase Aondoakaa (SAN), 3,815 votes; Godwin Tyoachimin, 1,139 votes; Steven Lawani, 21,172 votes; Prof Terhemba Shija, 2,217 votes; Mlanga, 219 votes; Terwase Orbunde, 1,391 votes, while Herman Hembe polled 638 votes.
Senator Lado therefore said, “With this document before me, I hereby declare Rev Fr Hyacinth Iormem Alia who scored a total number of 410,682 votes; having scored the highest number of votes as the winner of this election.”
Shortly after the declaration of the results, the State chapter of the party held a Special Congress which affirmed the candidacy of Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia as duly elected to fly the party’s flag in next month’s election.
State Chairman ofAPC, Austin Agada, who moved for the ratification of Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia said, “Those in support that Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia be returned as the governorship candidate of APC in the state, say aye.”
The move was greeted with a resounding ‘aye’, during which Agada said in view of the acceptance of Alia “I hereby ratify Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia as the candidate of the party.”
Agada said, the APC has come out as a party united to deliver Benue from untold hardship, insisting that the election of Alia by members of the party is an indication that God has spoken and because he has been chosen to lead the people, APC was bound to be victorious come the election.
Chairman of the Appeal Panel, Umar Kolo said the Appeal Panel would commence sitting by 12 noon on Friday to entertain complaints from aspirants that were not satisfied with the outcome of the election.
Meanwhile, apart from releasing the results for the 23 LGAs of the state, the Committee also released the results for re-run in the 11 LGAs.
During the re-run election, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia polled, 219,002 votes; Architect Bernard Yisa, 136 votes; Sam Ode, 255 votes; Mathia Ibuan, 4,797 votes; Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN, 606 votes and Senator Barnabas Gemade, 450 votes.
Others are Herman Hembe, 688 votes; Terwase Orbunde, 2 votes; Steven Lawani, 120 votes; Mlanga, 766 votes; Terhemba Shija, 219 votes and Godwin Tyoachimin, 454 votes.