Benue Guber Rerun: Ortom urges INEC to address lapses

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to address identified lapses it witnessed during the March 9th Governorship election to ensure a hitch-free, transparent, fair and credible rerun.
Governor Ortom who gave this advice in a press statement by his Special Adviser on Media and ICT Mr. Tahav Agerzua urged voters in places where Governorship and other rerun elections are to be conducted next Saturday, 23rd March, 2019, to turn out and exercise their civic duty.
He also, urged the voters to 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 called on all stakeholders in the electoral process to resist all forms of inducements to subvert the system but rather to 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, while insisting that they conduct themselves professionally by not allowing any individual or organization to exert undue influence on them.
The Governor reminded all that everyone owe the country committed loyalty and unalloyed patriotism, stressing that any breach of the peace was detrimental to all.
He said he knows that from the results of the last elections the people of the state have indicated their clear prefence for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and all its candidates.
It should be noted that the rerun election is to hold in 204 polling units in 22 out of the 23 local government areas of the State.