Why Benue APC Will Not Participate In 2022 LG Elections – Publicity Secretary
Prosper Okoye –
Stakeholders and party members of the Benue State All Progressive Congress (APC), has unanimously decided to not participate in the 2022 Local Government elections.
This decision was made known to the public on Monday, in a press conference held at the party Secretariat in Makurdi.
According to the Benue State APC Publicity Secretary, Dan-Morgan Ihomun, the reasons the party decided to walk away from the contest with her head held high included a desire for credible elections.
“The decision to boycott the local government polls was not sudden. We had made our position clear at the local government election stakeholders forum, that the party would monitor the election preparation processes, and when we find conditions that will not produce a credible, free, and fair elections, the party shall not participate.
“APC is ever ready to run elections and win, base on the competency of our candidate, and the trust the Benue people have for our party. But we will not rubbish ourselves, by running elections, where the goal post will be shifted at will, when the game begins.” He reiterated.
Mr. Ihomun stated that the APC has no confidence in Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC), to conduct credible Local Government polls.
“We have it from [a] reliable source that the election results are already out. And if we should go ahead to participate in such elections, where we will not be given a level playing field, we shall only be giving credibility to an illegality.
“During the 2017 LG elections, voting were still going on at many polling units in the state, meanwhile results for those polling units were being announced at the government house,” he recalled.
The APC publicity secretary further mentioned other factors that the party has seen, of which has led to its decision.
“Governor Samuel Ortom has handpicked the people which he wants to fill the positions.
Even though he had promised not to interfere in the elections, imagine him saying that nine positions are reserved for women.
We cannot hold the government by its words, because they have failed us again and again in the past.
“From our investigations, BSIEC does not have adequate logistics to conduct elections in the 23 LGAs of the state. They have no vehicles; even the ballot papers are yet to be printed.
“The BSIEC Chairman, Loko Tersoo Joseph, has a question mark. He is being investigated by the EFCC, for corruption in the expenditure of money released for elections.
“The staff of the state electoral commission are all civil servants, who are been owed salary arrears for months. How can people in such conditions conduct credible elections?”
When asked if anything can be done to make the party revise her decision? Mr. Ihomun noted that BSIEC should be scraped off and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should begin conducting local government elections.
“History has shown that when the INEC conducted local government elections, the results were far credible than what is obtained now.”
He went on to say that, “the power to conduct elections was not given to state governments, and opposition parties back then, were winning greater number of local government positions.”
He maintained that the party’s non-participation in the local government polls, will not hamper her chances in winning the 2023 state gubernatorial elections.
