From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi
Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Joseph Utsev, has called for a peaceful and conducive atmosphere during the National Assembly primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State and across the country.
Utsev made the appeal while speaking with journalists at the APC State Secretariat in Makurdi, where he monitored the distribution of electoral materials to the 23 local government areas of the state ahead of the primaries.
The minister commended the orderly manner in which the materials were being distributed and expressed optimism that the exercise would be free, fair and credible.
“I am here in Benue State to witness and participate in our party’s APC primaries, which commence today across the country. I came to the APC secretariat to see how everything is going, and I have seen that people are collecting electoral materials in an orderly manner,” he said.
“I pray that there will be peace and a conducive atmosphere to carry out free and fair primaries. I hope that at the end, party members will be happy with the candidates they choose to represent them in the 2027 elections,” Utsev added.
Also speaking, the Benue State APC Chairman, Benjamin Omale, assured party members of the readiness of the party to conduct peaceful primaries, noting that adequate security arrangements had been put in place to ensure the safety of officials and electoral materials.
Commenting on the minister’s visit to the party secretariat, Omale said the APC remained open and welcoming to all party faithful.
“This is the home that accommodates all party faithful, so everyone is expected to pay respect to the party, which is supreme.
Everyone is welcome, and we are moving towards reconciliation. The governor is doing well in preparing the ground for everyone to remain in the party,” he said.
“The security agencies are fully on the ground, and I am confident that at the end of the exercise, it will be successful,” Omale added.
Chairman of the National Assembly Primaries Committee, Alhaji Sabiu Saidu Mahuta, also assured stakeholders of the committee’s commitment to conducting transparent, fair, credible and acceptable primary elections in the state.
Mahuta warned returning officers against partisanship, stressing that all aspirants must be treated equally as members of the APC.
He further explained that where consensus arrangements are adopted, such agreements must be properly documented and signed by all contestants and endorsed by the state party chairman.
“Where there is consensus, we want a letter that can be verified as authentic for record purposes. The chairman of the party in the state must also endorse it,” he said.
“We need to know where consensus has been reached so that election results will not come from such locations. In places where affirmation will be conducted, there is a laid-down process. Before affirmation for any seat, there must be a written consensus agreement signed by all the contestants. That is one of the conditions,” Mahuta stated.
