Coalition of Election Observers in Benue State has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to forthwith announce Emmanuel Jime, the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as winner of the March 9 governorship election.

Like in six other states, INEC had declared the polls in Benue inconclusive, alleging that 121,011 electorates were either not able to vote or election did not hold in their areas.

However, in a statement by Convener Princess Ajibola on Saturday, the election observers urged the electoral umpire to adhere to the constitution and declare the APC flagbearer winner having picked up the highest number of votes in areas where card reader machines were used for accreditation.

The group of observers, who thoroughly monitored the exercise asserted that the incumbent and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Samuel Ortom, connived with some INEC officials to deliberately sabotage the entire process in his favour.

According to the observers, “ It is no coincidence that the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Samuel Ortom, only scored high votes in places where Card Readers were deliberately sabotaged by his agents to force electoral officers to resort to manual accreditation. In course of our observation, we documented that Card Readers were not used in Logo, Guma, Vandekiya, Konshisha, Buruku and Gwer West Local Government Areas.

“ The manual accreditation gave room to vote manipulation in the identified local government areas. Incidents documented included over voting, accreditation of people that are not registered voters, ballot stuffing amongst others. These incidents do not in any way form part of what INEC had promised when it announced its determination to conduct acceptable elections and they certainly do not indicate credible elections in any part of the world.

“ The knowledge on the part of other candidates that violations occurred on this scale is reasons for the election results so far announced are being met with rejection. The results have become controversial and are now a subject of protests by many candidates and observers.

“ Public anger will continue to grow for as long as INEC continues to delay in declaring a rejection of results from locations where Card Readers were not used. This is because INEC had issued a guideline that specifically directed that the use of card reader machine must be complied with.

“ In a bizarre development, the PDP candidate has connived with some INEC officials in Benue state to rig the elections through the failure to use Card Readers and is now parading himself as the winner of the election while citing some outrageous votes.

“ The rigging is so brazen that the leading APC candidate was allocated zero votes in places where it had large turnout of its supporters and polling agents, which would suggest that even the agents were not allowed to vote.

“ We see the case in Benue State as test for INEC that it can take electoral decisions that will ensure that every vote it organized do not end up being tabled before Election Petition Tribunals for adjudication. The Commission must begin to put an end to the practice of deprived winners being asked to go to court to reclaim their victories. INEC should therefore cancel the results from local government areas where Card Readers were not used and declare the Emmanuel Jime/Sam Ode ticket as winner.

“ We urge the international community to keep close watch of the development in Benue state so that the world will know what truly transpired in the state since it will become necessary to make interventions at some point based on the way the electorates will likely respond to their votes being stolen.”

Source: https://www.ivyukula.com/2019/03/declare-apc-candidate-jime-winner-of-benue-guber-election-observer-tells-inec/

INEC I have no reason not to listen to the call.

APC apologist, ur language and advocacy betrayed u to the extent dat u tried cooking up stories.

Miyetti Allah Observers and Mumuric observer

why would they declare him winner when the rerun is on the 23rd.....or is he afraid that he's going to loose...... the only state I see APC winning on the 23rd is plateau state, all d oda ones are beyond their reach and some are mere formalities

slivertongue:
APC apologist, ur language and advocacy betrayed u to the extent dat u tried cooking up stories.

Yes just like this pdp apologist forming inec official


Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja


The United States-Nigeria Law Group, an election observer initiative, has released a damning election assessment report of the 2019 election, where it clearly stated that most of the issues that troubled the 2019 general election were deliberately contrived to assist the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to retain power at the centre.


Of particular note is an aspect of the report which claimed that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, in both the Judiciary and INEC matters, violated the constitution of Nigeria, which guarantees their independence from interference.
From its findings, the group posited that while the electorate prepared for elections, it was as though the incumbent was “preparing a military operation.”

In a statement signed by Mr. Emmanuel Ogebe and obtained by THISDAY at the weekend, the Group said it observed conscious efforts to compromise the elections and raised early warnings as well as concerns, which have now been validated and proven by the resulting self-sabotaged elections.

For example, it noted that INEC announced inconclusive elections in 6 states out of which PDP was reportedly leading in all but one.
“This is highly suggestive and unsettling all by itself. However, there are further indications that similar results in states in which the APC was leading were not declared inconclusive. Some states where a rerun was illogical, because the mathematical probabilities could not conceivably produce a different outcome have still been scheduled for rerun.


“The principle on cancelled votes versus margin of victory, which ostensibly informed the inconclusive declarations in state elections, was not uniformly applied in the presidential elections. So far the following states have been declared inconclusive – the most ever in Nigerian history – Benue, Plateau, Adamawa, Sokoto, Kano and Bauchi states.

“It is especially noteworthy that in the case of Kano State, the PDP was overwhelming leading when the Deputy Governor seized and tore the results of the last Local Government to be declared. This brazen act of brigandage was caught on video and is perhaps emblematic of how the election results overall have been hijacked.”
On the postponement of the presidential and National Assembly elections from February 16 to 23, the group said its investigations and analysis indicated that the action was orchestrated by the ruling party based on its dissatisfaction with judiciary pronouncements on cases affecting its candidates.

According to the election observer group, the Buhari regime had shown unambiguously its displeasure with both the Judiciary and INEC for not delivering its preferred outcomes.
It further held that there was a clear pattern of desperation, constitutional violation and fabrication in the actions of the regime towards both key institutions that have a critical role in the elections.
Thus, in this post-election report, the group detailed various instances in which it said the incumbent president had shown intent and discernible actions to undermine the elections.


While enumerating several shortcomings of the 2019 election, the USNLG expressed grave concern at the brazen militarisation of the elections.
It added that in furtherance of its partisan agenda in both the Judiciary and INEC, the President Buhari-led APC administration fabricated a faux court ruling on the basis of which it justified its unconstitutional acts.

For instance, the USNLG report noted that: “The Buhari regime acting ostensibly on a private petition interfered with both the Judiciary and INEC regarding the removal of CJN and election postponement respectively.”
It said the President’s refusal to sign the electoral reforms into law showed clearly “the mens rea or criminal intent by the president not to allow the conduct of credible elections from the word go.

“Indeed, the president is on record for having said following the passage of the ‘not-too-young to run’ law, that it should be only after his re-election. This Freudian slip cements the notion that he nixed the electoral reforms for the same self-perpetuation.
“For these and other reasons, it is transparently clear that the Buhari regime had motive, opportunity, mens rea and actus reus (criminal intent and culpable acts) and declared intent and discernible actions to undermine the elections. In this respect, they were successful in premeditated failure,” it said.

The election observer group therefore said it decided to share its report for the benefit of the electorate and the international community for the sake of global democracy.
With regards to the issue of malpractices and activities of compromised poll officials, the observer group said it has firsthand report of what transpired in Benue State, for instance, on the eve of the rescheduled presidential and National Assembly polls of February 16.

“We gathered that out of a list of about 500 names submitted by a federal institution to INEC as poll officials, a ruling party Senator selected those whom he deemed he could ‘work with’. In addition, the APC Senator doled out millions of naira, which was distributed to the INEC-trained poll officials at a location in Makurdi, the Benue State Capital. The temporary poll officials were called by phone to come and collect the serving Senator’s cash in person from the said location.”

It also said that before the governorship election of March 9, a university professor was apprehended with election materials in Benue State and his vehicle burnt by irate voters, thus reiterating the fact that it witnessed firsthand, the distribution of cash from the back of a vehicle to political operatives for unknown purposes and particularly stunned that the party functionaries were escorted by police.

The USNLG report stated that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) apprehended a vehicle loaded with currency in the trunk of a vehicle of a politician linked to the APC in February.

While expressing its concern over President Buhari’s actions and inactions before, during and after the elections, the observer group said it was deeply concerned at the president’s remarks that electoral malpractice would attract summary execution.
“We are gravely concerned at the brazen militarisation of these elections. Buhari has gone beyond militarisation to martialisation of the election process. We are more concerned at remarks attributed to the Chief of Army Staff that, ‘If Commander-in-Chief has given order to the Nigerian Army to that effect, rest assured that order will be totally and effectively obeyed without any ifs or buts.”
Specifically, the election observer group lamented the military invasion of Rivers State and described it as troublesome.

“The military invasion and rampage in Rivers State is troublesome on several levels not the least of which is: The ruling party APC was not even a candidate in the elections yet the government interfered with military might to rig in the most ignoble and egregious way ever.

“The wicked, oppressive and violent attacks on innocent civilians and their homes and property in the formerly restive Niger Delta just for elections, has the real propensity for re-igniting another armed insurrection in the region.

Muric observers I guess

Obainoneandonly:
why would they declare him winner when the rerun is on the 23rd.....or is he afraid that he's going to loose...... the only state I see APC winning on the 23rd is plateau state, all d oda ones are beyond their reach and some are mere formalities

Objectively,evidences suggest that jime won that election.how could he have won benue south and fail woefully in the tiv areas.how can buhari garner more votes than him? How can people still be voting a failure like ortom

[s]

senatordave1:

Yes just like this pdp apologist forming inec official


Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja


The United States-Nigeria Law Group, an election observer initiative, has released a damning election assessment report of the 2019 election, where it clearly stated that most of the issues that troubled the 2019 general election were deliberately contrived to assist the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to retain power at the centre.


Of particular note is an aspect of the report which claimed that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, in both the Judiciary and INEC matters, violated the constitution of Nigeria, which guarantees their independence from interference.
From its findings, the group posited that while the electorate prepared for elections, it was as though the incumbent was “preparing a military operation.”

In a statement signed by Mr. Emmanuel Ogebe and obtained by THISDAY at the weekend, the Group said it observed conscious efforts to compromise the elections and raised early warnings as well as concerns, which have now been validated and proven by the resulting self-sabotaged elections.

For example, it noted that INEC announced inconclusive elections in 6 states out of which PDP was reportedly leading in all but one.
“This is highly suggestive and unsettling all by itself. However, there are further indications that similar results in states in which the APC was leading were not declared inconclusive. Some states where a rerun was illogical, because the mathematical probabilities could not conceivably produce a different outcome have still been scheduled for rerun.


“The principle on cancelled votes versus margin of victory, which ostensibly informed the inconclusive declarations in state elections, was not uniformly applied in the presidential elections. So far the following states have been declared inconclusive – the most ever in Nigerian history – Benue, Plateau, Adamawa, Sokoto, Kano and Bauchi states.

“It is especially noteworthy that in the case of Kano State, the PDP was overwhelming leading when the Deputy Governor seized and tore the results of the last Local Government to be declared. This brazen act of brigandage was caught on video and is perhaps emblematic of how the election results overall have been hijacked.”
On the postponement of the presidential and National Assembly elections from February 16 to 23, the group said its investigations and analysis indicated that the action was orchestrated by the ruling party based on its dissatisfaction with judiciary pronouncements on cases affecting its candidates.

According to the election observer group, the Buhari regime had shown unambiguously its displeasure with both the Judiciary and INEC for not delivering its preferred outcomes.
It further held that there was a clear pattern of desperation, constitutional violation and fabrication in the actions of the regime towards both key institutions that have a critical role in the elections.
Thus, in this post-election report, the group detailed various instances in which it said the incumbent president had shown intent and discernible actions to undermine the elections.


While enumerating several shortcomings of the 2019 election, the USNLG expressed grave concern at the brazen militarisation of the elections.
It added that in furtherance of its partisan agenda in both the Judiciary and INEC, the President Buhari-led APC administration fabricated a faux court ruling on the basis of which it justified its unconstitutional acts.

For instance, the USNLG report noted that: “The Buhari regime acting ostensibly on a private petition interfered with both the Judiciary and INEC regarding the removal of CJN and election postponement respectively.”
It said the President’s refusal to sign the electoral reforms into law showed clearly “the mens rea or criminal intent by the president not to allow the conduct of credible elections from the word go.

“Indeed, the president is on record for having said following the passage of the ‘not-too-young to run’ law, that it should be only after his re-election. This Freudian slip cements the notion that he nixed the electoral reforms for the same self-perpetuation.
“For these and other reasons, it is transparently clear that the Buhari regime had motive, opportunity, mens rea and actus reus (criminal intent and culpable acts) and declared intent and discernible actions to undermine the elections. In this respect, they were successful in premeditated failure,” it said.

The election observer group therefore said it decided to share its report for the benefit of the electorate and the international community for the sake of global democracy.
With regards to the issue of malpractices and activities of compromised poll officials, the observer group said it has firsthand report of what transpired in Benue State, for instance, on the eve of the rescheduled presidential and National Assembly polls of February 16.

“We gathered that out of a list of about 500 names submitted by a federal institution to INEC as poll officials, a ruling party Senator selected those whom he deemed he could ‘work with’. In addition, the APC Senator doled out millions of naira, which was distributed to the INEC-trained poll officials at a location in Makurdi, the Benue State Capital. The temporary poll officials were called by phone to come and collect the serving Senator’s cash in person from the said location.”

It also said that before the governorship election of March 9, a university professor was apprehended with election materials in Benue State and his vehicle burnt by irate voters, thus reiterating the fact that it witnessed firsthand, the distribution of cash from the back of a vehicle to political operatives for unknown purposes and particularly stunned that the party functionaries were escorted by police.

The USNLG report stated that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) apprehended a vehicle loaded with currency in the trunk of a vehicle of a politician linked to the APC in February.

While expressing its concern over President Buhari’s actions and inactions before, during and after the elections, the observer group said it was deeply concerned at the president’s remarks that electoral malpractice would attract summary execution.
“We are gravely concerned at the brazen militarisation of these elections. Buhari has gone beyond militarisation to martialisation of the election process. We are more concerned at remarks attributed to the Chief of Army Staff that, ‘If Commander-in-Chief has given order to the Nigerian Army to that effect, rest assured that order will be totally and effectively obeyed without any ifs or buts.”
Specifically, the election observer group lamented the military invasion of Rivers State and described it as troublesome.

“The military invasion and rampage in Rivers State is troublesome on several levels not the least of which is: The ruling party APC was not even a candidate in the elections yet the government interfered with military might to rig in the most ignoble and egregious way ever.

“The wicked, oppressive and violent attacks on innocent civilians and their homes and property in the formerly restive Niger Delta just for elections, has the real propensity for re-igniting another armed insurrection in the region.

[/s]
claptrap and stupid trash

senatordave1:

Objectively,evidences suggest that jime won that election.how could he have won benue south and fail woefully in the tiv areas.how can buhari garner more votes than him? How can people still be voting a failure like ortom

Lie Muhammed is you head paining you

Iam from benue state and can tell you categorically that leaving party aside, Apc won that election hands down. Ortom knows how to rig election and those areas he won have said it all: for instance, Guma is ortom village where he gave no vote to apc, gwer west is his wife's place. Logo is former governor suswam village, another thief. Etc so let it be known that benue never voted ortom

slivertongue:
APC apologist, ur language and advocacy betrayed u to the extent dat u tried cooking up stories.

what that man is saying is true. that exactly what happened in some pulling units in kwande lga of Benue state. Chief of staff to the state government, hijacked everything and thumb printed in favour of Ortom.

Kennyprince:
Iam from benue state and can tell you categorically that leaving party aside, Apc won that election hands down. Ortom knows how to rig election and those areas he won have said it all: for instance, Guma is ortom village where he gave no vote to apc, gwer west is his wife's place. Logo is former governor suswam village, another thief. Etc so let it be known that benue never voted ortom

Exactly

Bobbysteps:
what that man is saying is true. that exactly what happened in some pulling units in kwande lga of Benue state. Chief of staff to the state government, hijacked everything and thumb printed in favour of Ortom.

You are correct.how can jime suddenly start losing in all the tiv areas buhari won? So buhari is now more popular than jime

Kennyprince:
Iam from benue state and can tell you categorically that leaving party aside, Apc won that election hands down. Ortom knows how to rig election and those areas he won have said it all: for instance, Guma is ortom village where he gave no vote to apc, gwer west is his wife's place. Logo is former governor suswam village, another thief. Etc so let it be known that benue never voted ortom

By right,jime should be winning makurdi and gboko,konshisha and vandeikya massuvely.how can ortom get more votes in logo than what he got in guma ? I blame akume and jime also.they must have seen all the evil tactics of pdp in the presidential polls and should have prepared to counter it.

senatordave1:

You are correct.how can jime suddenly start losing in all the tiv areas buhari won? So buhari is now more popular than jime

Or was buhari rigged in? Cos APC lost states buhari won.

senatordave1:

By right,jime should be winning makurdi and gboko,konshisha and vandeikya massuvely.how can ortom get more votes in logo than what he got in guma ? I blame akume and jime also.they must have seen all the evil tactics of pdp in the presidential polls and should have prepared to counter it.

Is this how poorly you handle defeat?

Some ipob miscreants from the east knows better than the real Benue indigene, ortom is a cancerous element in Benue that must be up rooted, my Benue friends told me ortom is another Fulani herdsmen in disguise that is killing Benue people, they went further to claim that a survivor in one of the clashes, confirm the assailants were speaking Benue languages fluently , that the survivor was shocked and claim there was no way Fulani herdsmen can understand Benue language at that level.

In another story , they told me benues were killing benues, that the killings of the Catholic priests was carried out by ortom men, a boko haram repentant which was placed level 17 at the state civil service, and he was appointed to head the livestock guard in Benue..

There is too many politics in all these killings, may GOD help us in this country, our so call leaders are monsters..

You are preparing your wailing portion for when APC win more that just Plateau ba ? After all we all know Buhari will rig it since that is what you n your father have been screaming for the past 4 years.

Obainoneandonly:
why would they declare him winner when the rerun is on the 23rd.....or is he afraid that he's going to loose...... the only state I see APC winning on the 23rd is plateau state, all d oda ones are beyond their reach and some are mere formalities

Observers or Apc in disguise?

Was card reader used for the votes from the core north during the presidential election?

ngadaAwo:
[/s]
[s]claptrap and stupid trash

Trash, dustbin material

Seetto:
Some ipob miscreants from the east knows better than the real Benue indigene, ortom is a cancerous element in Benue that must be up rooted, my Benue friends told me ortom is another Fulani herdsmen in disguise that is killing Benue people, they went further to claim that a survivor in one of the clashes, confirm the assailants were speaking Benue languages fluently , that the survivor was shocked and claim there was no way Fulani herdsmen can understand Benue language at that level.

In another story , they told me benues were killing benues, that the killings of the Catholic priests was carried out by ortom men, a boko haram repentant which was placed level 17 at the state civil service, and he was appointed to head the livestock guard in Benue..

There is too many politics in all these killings, may GOD help us in this country, our so call leaders are monsters..

I also heard that is was the Catholic Bishop of Markudi that killed more than a hundred people in Jan 18

tuniski:


Is this how poorly you handle defeat?

Do you even know what defeat is

tuniski:


Or was buhari rigged in? Cos APC lost states buhari won.

Even if you remove rigging,buhari still won.atiku had no chance

TRIBUNAL

Which apc?

If even Benue people are mad their madness is not about bringing back apc to their Givetment house.

Which apc if I may ask again? Una no well.

Which election observers are they talking about I guess not all those ones who came to slept in fie star hotel, eat our food, collect dollars and make mockery of us?

Una no well I repeat.

Ortoms is leading with 81k and about 80k collected their PVCs and we don't expect all these people to file out and vote.

Bauchi, Adamawa, Rivers and Benue are already in the bag.

Kano, Sokoto and Plateau is where the battle lies. Yoruba moslems will point all the antenna to Kano on 23rd March. If they lose Kano and Sokoto, they should forget about DSP and HoR Speakership and of course, 2023.