By Aloysius Umalo, Makurdi
President Bola Tinubu has recorded a resounding victory in the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primaries conducted across Benue State on Saturday, securing an overwhelming majority of votes in the exercise held nationwide.
According to the results released to the media, President Tinubu polled a total of 374,787 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Mr. Stanley Osifo, who garnered 779 votes.
The primaries were conducted across the 276 council wards in the 23 Local Government Areas of the state and were widely described by local government returning officers as peaceful, transparent, credible, and orderly.
Out of the 390,507 registered APC members in Benue State, about 375,566 members reportedly participated in the exercise, which was monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, and other critical stakeholders in the electoral process.
Announcing the results, Governor Hyacinth Alia, who served as the state returning officer, stated that the figures announced reflected the true and accurate outcomes collated from all the council wards across the state.
Governor Alia expressed appreciation to APC members and supporters in Benue for their overwhelming support for President Tinubu, while also commending security agencies for maintaining peace and order throughout the exercise.
He noted with satisfaction that no security breach or unpleasant incident was recorded during the primaries.
The governor described the exercise as peaceful, smooth, and flawless, attributing President Tinubu’s massive support in the state to what he called the President’s commitment to the development and welfare of Benue people.
He further expressed confidence that the President would secure even greater support from the people of the state during the general elections scheduled for next year.
Governor Alia also credited the Tinubu administration for increasing federal allocations to states, saying the move had enabled governors to deliver more democratic dividends and development projects to their people.
According to him, the people of Benue have continued to align with President Tinubu because of his administration’s contributions to the state, including infrastructural development, the appointment of Benue indigenes into strategic government positions, and sustained efforts in tackling insecurity.
He also commended the President for initiating and supporting major projects across different parts of the state, noting that several of them had reached advanced stages of completion.
Governor Alia assured that the people of Benue would reciprocate the President’s gestures with massive support during the presidential election next year.
