PDP coasts to victory in Buruku Reps rerun polls
There is tension within the Benue chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) with some stakeholders pointing fingers at the Senate Minority Leader, Dr. George Akume of anti-party activities.
This is so even as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has won the rerun election conducted last Saturday for Buruku federal constituency in Benue state.
Speaking to our Correspondent from Makurdi on phone yesterday, on the results on the conduct of the polls, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), Alhaji Yusuf Baba declared that based on the results collated, the candidate of PDP Mr. Terfa Tyav emerge as winner.
A chieftain of the APC from Buruku, Anongo Imbur said Sen. George Akume had called some of his lieutenants and directed that all APC faithful should vote for the Labour Party candidate, John Tine and wondered while the decision since the leader of the party in the area Hon. Orker Jev was not aware of the development.
But Rec Baba confirmed that three political parties, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, All Progressive Congress, APC, and Labour Party, LP, participated in the rerun of the federal constituency seat.
According to him, the PDP candidate Mr. Terfa Tyav wins with a total of 25,988 votes against Barr. John Tine of LP who won pulled a total of 3602 votes and Mr. Sekaa Iortyom of APC with 395 votes.
He however acknowledge irregularities in some of the pulling stations and council wards adding that the commission decided to cancel results in such places. He also acknowledged the low turnout of voters for the election which he attributed to heavy downpour.
The REC maintained that any individual or political party with grievance should channel it to the legal department of the electoral umpire.
This position was faulted by a chieftain of the APC in Buruku Mr. Terkaa Agbe who said his party did not participate in the election on protest grounds and wondered while the party was still allocated about 300 votes.
Agbe wondered why INEC would go ahead to conduct the election despite the supreme court motion of notice served on the umpire which they had earlier sited as reason for postponement of the rerun.
