By Ede Ogaba Ede
The Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) has ruled out the use of the Bimodal Verification Accreditation System (BVAS) during the 5th October local government council elections in the State, explaining that the latest Benue State local government amended law does not make provision for its use.
The chairman of the Commission, Dr. Richard Terlumum Tombowua, disclosed this at a media briefing held at the Commission’s headquarters in Makurdi.
Dr. Tombowua, who expressed the readiness of BSIEC to conduct a free, fair, and transparent election as everything has been put in place for its conduct, said only God can stop the election from holding.
“There is nothing that will stop this election, aside from God because the latest amendment to the Electoral Law has prohibited Court interference from any activity leading to this our election”
“So whether you go to court, whether you have an injunction or not, it will not stop us from conducting this election going by the latest Benue State local government council amended law”.
He disclosed that they have already started receiving most of the sensitive materials to be used in the election, while the training of staff and ad-hoc staff would begin on Thursday next week.
The chairman, who stated that the Commission has already concluded the verification of candidates, the substitution of candidates, and the display of the list of the substituted candidates, disclosed that eight political parties are fielding candidates for the elections.
The political parties participating in the elections are the African Action Congress, (AAC), All Progressives Congress, (APC), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Labor Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples’ Party (NNPP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Zenith Labor Party(ZLP).
Tombowua dispelled the allegations of bias against the Commission and explained that no political party or faction of any party is being favored by the Commission.
According to him, he received a letter from the National Secretariat of the APC to work with the caretaker committee led by Benjamin Omale in dealing with the party, while a similar letter from the PDP asking the Commission to also work with their caretaker committee in the State was also received by the Commission.
The elections are expected to hold in all 23 local government areas and 276 council wards in the state.
Ede Ogaba Ede
Makurdi