INEC under pressure to subvert Benue guber rerun in favour of APC, allege Benue youths

’It’s Not True, We Are Not Under Any Pressure’
The National President of Benue Youths Forum (BYF), Terrence Kuanum, has alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was under intense pressure to subvert the coming Benue State Supplementary Governorship election in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Kuanum, in a statement made available to The Guardian in Makurdi, yesterday, warned that any external interference to skew the process would be resisted by Benue youths.

He also advised those plotting to compel the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) to announce APC as winner of the poll against the wishes of majority of the people of the state to also make available body bags to evacuate Benue youths, who he said, were prepared to die for a course they believe in.

But INEC, in a swift reaction, by its Head of Voter Education and Publicity in the state, Mr. Emma Okpe, said: “It is not true that we are under pressure to announce anybody winner of the March 23 rerun elections. These are mere rumours in the town.”

Kuanum insisted: “The plan is for INEC to announce the APC candidate winner of the election, while PDP heads to the tribunal to seek justice, which will not be served.

“The APC and its co-travelers are pressuring INEC to destroy Benue for their own greed, even when it is obvious that the rerun in Benue is nothing, but an academic exercise, because Governor Samuel Ortom has a lead margin of over 80,000 votes.

“Moreover, we also have it on record that in the 179 polling units where elections were cancelled, which are known PDP strongholds, with registered voters strength of 121,019, not more than 70,000 of the electorate have Permanent Voters Card (PVC). Even at that, there is no way voter turnout in these places can hit 40 per cent.

“Benue youths have said and we will reiterate that nobody would impose a governor on us; we will freely choose our governor and he is the one who has continued to stand in defence of the people and that is why we came out en masse a week ago to vote him to show gratitude and we will do it again on March 23.”