By Peter Duru, Makurdi

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said designated places would be provided for Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs in Benue state to cast their votes in the coming February 25 and March 11, 2023 general elections.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, for the state, Prof. Sam Egwu who made this known Wednesday while addressing the expanded stakeholders meeting on the 2023 election, organised by the Commission in Makurdi assured that the electoral body was working in partnership with security agencies to ensure a hitch-free election in the state .

According to Prof Egwu, INEC was determined to conduct the polls and “to make the election a defining moment for Nigeria’s democracy.”

He said “INEC in partnership with security agencies will guarantee adequate security in both normal polling units and in the designated places for Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs.”

He explained that Benue state has “a total of 2,777,727 registered voters following the closure of collection of Permanent Voters’ Card two weeks ago.

“Out of the total of 5,102 Polling Units, PUs, in Benue State, polls will be conducted in a total of 5, 092 PUs considering that of the 1, 414 newly created polling units in 2021, 10 have no registered voters. These 10 units are spread across Buruku, Gboko, Kwande, Makurdi and Okpoku Local Government Areas.”

He said the Commission had “since received the full complements of the Bimodal Verification and Accreditation System, BVAS, required for the election; the BVAS have successfully passed through functionality test and they have all been configured and ready for deployment.

“We have concluded training for the Supervisory Presiding Officers, SPOS, who constitute the linchpin for conducting elections at the Registration Area level, and we are selecting only those that passed the post-training test. They will be deployed for election purposes.”

While assuring that the Commission would deliver the best elections in 2023, Prof. Egwu said, “we appeal to the key actors and political gladiators not to resort to self-help because judicial remedies for unacceptable outcomes are a part and parcel of election; such that aggrieved persons have the liberty to proceed to the tribunals.”

Addressing the gathering Governor Samuel Ortom who commended INEC for organising the meeting cautioned that politics must not be about violence because it would serve no useful purpose.

The Governor who reassured that he would continue to provide a peaceful atmosphere in the state for all political parties to engage in their electioneering activities, said “I do want to remind politicians that in politics there are no permanent enemies and no permanent friends but permanent interest. We can still pursue our interests without being violent or killing and injuring others.

“I am a living example of what I am saying, I believe in fairness, equity and justice and I have told the people around me to play by the rules because I believe in the rule of law.

“Yes there could be people working against you and contesting with you but we must know that power belongs to God and He gives it to whoever he wishes. A man can receive nothing except it is given to him from above. If God doesn’t give you, you are wasting your time.”

The Governor who urged the electorates to troop out in their numbers to case their votes on election day advised those without Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, to stay away from the polling units or be arrested.

He said “INEC has told all political parties to have their agents on election day, they will monitor and ensure that tje right thing is done and at the end whosoever wins, we should be willing to swallow our pride and accept that this is what God has done.”

Ealier, the Benue State Police Commissioner, Mr. Wale Abass commended Governor Ortom for not standing in the way of the Command in the discharge of its duties.

He assured that the Command was partnering the sister security agencies to ensure that the coming elections were peaceful saying “whatever it will take us to have peaceful elections in Benue state we will do it.”

Also, the state chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, and Chairman of Labour Party in the state, Mr. Ibrahim Idoko who lauded the Governor for creating peaceful atmosphere in the state ahead of the elections urged all parties to emulate his disposition to ensure peaceful electioneering in the state.

The Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Titus Uba also assured that he was committed to peaceful elections and urged all candidates to ensure that the state remained peaceful, before, during and after the elections.

The meeting was attended by traditional rulers, stakeholders and politicians from the various political parties in the state.