GUBER ELECTION: DON'T CHANGE RULES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME, GOV. ORTOM WARNS INEC.(PHOTO).

GUBER ELECTION: DON'T CHANGE RULES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME, GOV. ORTOM WARNS INEC

18th March, 2023

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that this time around, it should not change the rules in the middle of the governorship and houses of assembly elections.

He also hoped that INEC has taken correction and would not allow what transpired during the presidential and national assembly elections to repeat itself.

Ortom who disclosed this while speaking with newsmen shortly after voting in the election on Saturday hailed the peaceful process as well as the turnout for the election.

The Governor who insisted that the results be transmitted immediately, warned that the result of the election should not be doctored.

He said, “The turnout is very impressive. Its just around 9am and more people are coming. Our people are more sensitized and they are here to protect their votes until it is transmitted.

“As you can see, there is peace everywhere. We have no intention…,the opposition is jittery and that is why they have gone accusing the PDP of arming militia with weapons among others.

“You can see what is happening here. This is my hometown and everybody is on the queue to vote. All the polling units are here because of the security situation we have within our communities.

“I have tried to find out in other locations in Guma local government and other places in the state; there is no crisis whatsoever. Let everybody go and vote but let INEC do the needful.

“I hope that INEC has taken note of the grave mistake that was done during the voting exercise and transimission of results (during the presidential and national assembly elections) because you cannot shift the goal post in the middle of the game. That is what INEC did last time.”

Ortom pointed out that “The challenge is why did they not upload result of the (presidential and national assembly) election electronically as stipulated in their guidelines?

“That is what we were working with and you go and shift the goal post and that is how the election was rigged and we are completely dissatisfied with what had happened and its unacceptable and that is why we have gone to court because we are law abiding citizens and we want everybody to be free, we don’t want crisis.”

Governor Ortom further stressed that “From here (polling units), we want the result to be transmitted. Let us know who has the highest votes, not going to doctor it somewhere and say there is problem with server.

“I don’t think Nigerians are ready to hear that. The international observers have completely disagreed with the process which produced whoever emerged as the winner,”, he warned. End.

Credit: independent