David Mark
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has announced the results for all elections in Benue South this morning in Otukpo, the headquarters of the zone. According to the Returning Officer, PDP is leading in all the areas and the following persons were returned elected:
Senator David Mark (PDP) – For Senate, Benue South; Hon Ezekiel Awulu Adaji (PDP) – House of Reps (Otukpo/Ohimini) Hon. Adamu Entonu (PDP) – House of Reps (APA/Agatu) Hon. Sam Okwu (PDP) – House of Reps (Oju/Obi).
Onje rejects results
The Senate President, David defeated former president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Daniel Onjeh of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mark polled a total of 99, 538 while Onjeh scored 50, 115 votes. Mark has been in the senate for about 16 years since 1999. He spent 8 years in the senate as a floor member and another 8 years as Senate President.
Onjeh has, however, faulted the results, saying the conduct of the polls was marred by irregularities, ballot snatching and manipulation of figures.
With this, Mark, a retired soldier would stay in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly for 20 years.
However, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the zone, Daniel Onjeh has called for the cancellation of elections in Agatu and Otukpo Local Government Areas of the zone over issues bothering on electoral malpractices.
According to Onjeh, there was no accreditation in Agatu, where Mark was declared winner by the returning officer. The candidate in a statement issued on Monday through the media section of the DayBreak Campaign Organisation, claimed that in Otukpo, the number of results announced was more than the number of the people accredited.
“This is broad daylight robbery. Where did the result in Agatu come from? We all know that people in Agatu are in disarray because of the ongoing crisis in the area. From the report we got, there was no accreditation in many interior villages where Mark reportedly got over 15,000 votes. This is not possible.
“David Mark and his agents should explain to us where they got that Otukpo result from. How on earth will the number of votes surpass the number of those accredited?
“Even in Orokam where Onjeh convincingly floored Mark with a wide margin, the result was manipulated along the road and he was declared winner in Orokam. We are calling on INEC to cancel election in these areas.
“Also in Ehaje Ward 2 where I won at the poll, the result was different in Otukpo.
The candidate further restated his position that the INEC should stand by the record on its card reader to avoid further manipulation.
“We have pictorial evidence of how PDP agents were sharing morning to voters on queue and terrorising APC agents in Otukpa and some other interior villages. What else is robbery if not this?
“The electoral body should not allow its efforts to be soiled. Mark is on his way back to Akpegede and we are all are of that,” the statement added.
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