The All Progressives Congress (APC) has emerged victorious in the Benue State local government elections held on Saturday, winning all 23 chairmanship positions and 276 councillorship seats across the state.
The elections, organized by the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC), saw APC achieve a clean sweep of all available seats. The results were announced on Sunday by BSIEC Chairman Mr. Richard Tombowua at the commission’s headquarters in Makurdi.
According to Tombowua, the elections were contested by five out of the eight political parties that had initially shown interest. “The APC won all 23 local government chairmanship positions and all 276 councillorship positions in the election,” he stated. Tombowua added that the polls were largely peaceful, with only one incident reported in Otukpo Local Government Area, where a BSIEC official was briefly taken hostage. The swift response of the police ensured the safe return of the official to Makurdi.
Tombowua also noted that the delay in announcing the results was caused by logistical challenges related to vote collation across the state. He emphasized that BSIEC had upheld its commitment to delivering a peaceful, free, fair, and credible election.
Of the eight political parties that initially indicated interest, only five participated: APC, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Labour Party (LP), and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Reacting to the results, Mr. Ibrahim Idoko, the State Chairman of the Labour Party and Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), praised BSIEC for its role in conducting a peaceful and credible election.
The State Chairman of APC, Mr. Benjamin Omale, also commended the electoral body for organizing a free and fair election. He extended his appreciation to Governor Hyacinth Alia for providing a level playing field for all political parties throughout the process.
