Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Rescheduled Election Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Benue State has announced Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia as the winner of the 2023 re-run election conducted in 11 local government areas of the state.
The chairman of the committee, Senator Basheer Lado, declared Alia as the overall winner of the APC governorship primary election held across the 23 local government areas of the state, having scored a total number of 410,682 votes to beat 12 other aspirants in the race.
Announcing the results of the rerun election ordered by the Court of Appeal in 11 local government areas of the state, Lado said that Alia scored a total number of 219,002 votes to defeat other aspirants.
Giving the breakdown of the results for each contestant in the re-run primary, Lado said Arc. Benard Yisa scored 136 votes; Sam Ode got 255 votes; Dr.Matthias Ibuan recorded 4,797 votes; Micheal Aondoakaa scored 606 votes; Senator Barnabas Gemade received 450 votes; Herman Hembe scored 688 votes; Terwase Orbunde got two votes; Chief Stephen Lawani had 120 votes; Ayom Mlanga received 766 votes, and Prof. Terhemba Shija scored 219 votes.
According to him, the total number of registered APC members for the 23 local government areas of the state stands at 868,010, adding that Matthias Ibuan scored a total number of 14,593 votes; Arc. Benard Yisa (581); Sen. Barnabas Gemade (5,125); Dr Terrumun Ikya (2,851); Revd. Fr Alia (410,682); Micheal Aondoakaa (3,815); Godwin Tyoachimin (1139); Chief Stephen Lawani (21,172); Prof. Terhemba Shija (2,217); Ayom Mlanga (219); Sam Ode (22,319); Terwase Orbunde (1391) and Herman Hembe (638).
“I hereby declare Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia who scored a total number of 410,682 votes, and having scored the highest number of votes, as the winner of the election,” Lado said.
After the announcement of the result, a special congress was held to affirm the candidacy of Alia by the state’s APC chairman, Comrade Austin Agada.
While calling on APC members to stay united and rally round the party’s governorship candidate for victory, Agada said: “The voice of God has been replicated in this rerun and you have chosen who you want to lead you and victory must be ours in 2023.”
