Chairman of Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC), Barr. Terlumum Tombowua on Tuesday said that some elements wanted him to shift the local government election held on October 5, 2024, in the state.
Speaking while receiving an award of ‘Defender of Democracy’ from Nigeria Union of Journalists’ Radio Benue Chapter in his office, the BSIEC boss said that he was committed to conducting the election and, hence, insisted that the election must be held.
The SIEC boss said that the commission followed electoral guidelines and a timeline for the conduct of the local government poll in the state.
Recall that the local government election which was held on October 5, 2024, was won by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
However, there was a trending video where ballot papers were reportedly thumb-printed by some elements, which made some people describe the election as not free and fair.
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party in the state also described the local government election as the worst in the state’s history.
But the SIEC chairman maintained that the commission conducted a free and fair election and dismissed claims that there was external influence on the commission, saying, ‘nobody interfered in the conduct of the election’.
The SIEC boss added that the commission carried out a transparent process before and after the election, insisting that they conducted the election within the given time frame despite several pressures from stakeholders to postpone it.
He said, “People who were not at home during and after the election are the ones alleging that there was no election. We followed due diligence in the conduct of the election ensuring that all results were collated before declaration of the final result”.
“When the Governor appointed us to conduct this election, little did we know that certain persons like the media were watching us. The media is a very critical stakeholder.
“We did a transparent process involving all the stakeholders. We jealously followed the timeline amidst calls for postponement. BSIEC remains independent at all times. We will continue to do our best and the award will spur us to do more”.
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