The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has officially demanded the immediate cancellation of the recent Local Government (LG) elections in Benue State. This call was made by the Benue State Chairman of APGA, Mr. Joseph Ogli, during a discussion with journalists on Monday in Makurdi.
Ogli expressed strong disapproval of the outcome, particularly highlighting that the All Progressives Congress (APC) managed to secure victories in all 23 local government areas, describing this result as an embarrassment not only to the state but also to Governor Hyacinth Alia. He emphasized that over N6 billion had been allocated to the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) for the conduct of elections that ultimately did not take place.
Furthermore, Ogli revealed that candidates were reportedly coerced into paying amounts ranging from N250,000 to N500,000 in addition to the screening fees that various political parties had already covered. He noted that APGA had encouraged its members to participate in the local government elections, believing that with a clergy and a priest as the governor, there would be a fair playing field for all political parties in the state.
To their dismay, APGA found it shocking that under the leadership of a clergy, an election could be conducted in such a way that neither APGA nor any other political party could win even a single councillor position in areas where they had significant support. Ogli labeled this situation as a serious setback for democracy and a miscarriage of justice regarding the third arm of government.
He urged all advocates of democracy to speak out against what he termed an “afternoon robbery” masquerading as an election, a situation he blamed on the chairman of BSIEC, who, according to him, has undermined the integrity of the governor.
In light of these events, Ogli mentioned that their party’s chairmanship candidate for Agatu Local Government Area, Mrs. Winifred Azumi, intends to pursue legal action to challenge the election results. He also called on their supporters to remain calm during this tumultuous time.
