Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has urged voters in places where governorship and other rerun elections are to be conducted next Saturday, 23rd March, 2019, to turn out en masse and exercise their civic duty.
He appealed to them to turn up early for the exercise even as he advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address identified lapses so as to ensure hitch-free, transparent, fair and credible polls.
The governor wished that the voters would brave all the odds, including real and imaginary unusual security deployments and ensure that they exercise their franchise as well as guard and protect their votes.
Governor Ortom, who commended the people for maintaining law and order during the recent elections, appealed to them to sustain the peaceful conduct even as he urged all stakeholders in the electoral process to resist all forms of inducements to subvert the system but rather demonstrate the highest level of patriotism.
He reiterated his pledge that the state government would support the security agencies to maintain law and order in all parts of the state and insisted that they conduct themselves professionally without allowing any individual or organisation to exert undue influence on them.
The governor reminded all that “we all owe our country committed loyalty and unalloyed patriotism”, stressing that any breach of the peace would be detrimental to all.
He said that he knows that from the results of the last elections, the people of the state have indicated their clear preference for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and all its candidates.
The governor, who expressed 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 9th March governorship polls.
BENJAMIN AGESAN, Makurdi
