Benue guber: Jime vows to challenge result at tribunal, give reasons

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State, Barr Emmanuel Jime, has vowed to head to the elections petition tribunal to contest the victory of Governor Samuel Ortom.

Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Sunday, declared Ortom winner of the keenly contested election after a very tortuous political journey.

In the result which was announced by INEC, Ortom polled a total of 434,473 votes to beat Jime who scored a total of 345,155 votes, leaving a margin of 89,318 votes.

Reacting to the declaration by INEC, Jime, in a statement signed by the Secretary, Jime/Ode Campaign Organisation, Prof. Eugene Aliegba posited that the result that was announced in favour of Ortom was a direct product of brutal violence, vote buying, ballot-stuffing, results-falsification, non-use of the card reader and a range of other irregularities that have no place in the electoral laws.

“We are making it unequivocally clear that the Benue APC will explore all constitutional and legal options available to ensure that the votes of the people count.

“In simple terms, we will make a case before the Elections Petition Tribunal to subject the Benue governorship elections result to an integrity test. If we opt otherwise, we will be as guilty as those who undertake acts that undermine democracy. We have chosen instead to take action that insulates democracy from practices that threaten it.”

While thanking all his supporters for staying through to their conviction, Jime urge them to exhibit the highest level of calmness even in the face of provocation, assuring that they would be provided regular updates on the next steps until victory is achieved.