Mr. Tahav Agerzua, Special Adviser on Media and ICT TO Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, said there was no reason for him to compromise personnel of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the March 9 elections.
Agerzua made this known in a statement on Monday in Makurdi, the Benue capital.
He was reacting to the allegation by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state that Ortom had allocated large amounts of money to INEC staff, with the intent to compromise them.
“These unfounded allegations being circulated in the media are surely the last kicks of a dying horse.
“The results of the Feb. 23, Presidential and National Assembly polls indicate that the party (Peoples Democratic Party) is the preferred choice of the Benue people.
“Aside that, the PDP won all the three senatorial seats, cleared majority in the House of Representatives; and the party also recorded the highest votes for the presidential candidate.
“Ortom, who has grassroots support, need not compromise INEC staff to get votes through the backdoor.
“The people are poised to once again vote for him massively like they did in 2015, without any undue influence on the electoral umpire.
“Moreover, if Ortom has the amount of money mentioned in one of the reports published in the Nation newspaper of Monday, March 4, 2019, he would channel it towards a worthy cause rather than for illegal purposes,” he said.
According to him, since Jan. 2018, salaries of workers in the state have been up to date; while funds are being sourced to pay the arrears.
“Ortom has had unblemished public and private sector records and there is no basis whatsoever to question his integrity.
“The people love him and are prepared to repose their confidence in him once more.
“He has never and does not need to resort to the use of thugs, the militia, or any form of self-help to prosecute election,’’ Agerzua said in the statement.
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