The All Progressives Congress (APC) has come under fire from the Benue state administration for reportedly seeking to challenge the legitimacy of the current governor, Samuel Ortom, ahead of the May 29, 2023, transition date. The APC has been accused by the government of making “spurious” charges against Ortom’s financial dealings and administration. Hyacinth Alia, the APC’s candidate for governor, and the Governor-elect reportedly advised the Benue Investment and Property Company (BIPC) Limited against doing business with the current governor. Terver Akase, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity, accused the APC of pressuring several permanent secretaries and government agencies to stop following Ortom’s orders statement. The “false, inflammatory, and misleading public remarks” made by the party against the current administration, according to Akase, were in addition to this. “It is ludicrous and troubling that the APC leadership in Benue State is engaged in an attrition campaign against a lawful administration whose term has not yet ended.” As they need to act quickly, they have turned to defaming and threatening the incumbent administration by using false information. He continued, “We desire to remind the APC that Governor Ortom remains the constitutionally elected Governor of Benue State and has the constitutional right to direct government agencies, grant approvals, and carry out any other business of government until May 28, 2023.” Akase pleaded with the group to stop attempting to destabilize the current situation. He also refuted the APC’s “speculation” that the state government had entered into a contract with anyone to build the city airport that had been sanctioned for the state by the Ministry of Aviation. When the Benue APC Chairman and his fellow travelers stated that the state government was involved in certain vague contractual engagements for various sums, which they curiously could not confirm, they were merely speculating. As a responsive and effective government, the Ortom administration reserves the right to hire and appoint qualified Benue natives to positions where openings exist. This administration has done just that by hiring Benue sons and daughters through the Teaching Service Board (TSB) and the State Universal Basic Education Program. Akase said that Ortom had established a transition committee and that he would collaborate with the governor-elect to pick candidates to serve on the committee. Akase advised the APC to cease showing ignorance and separate political campaigning from important matters of government.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said that 87 million Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) have been collected by Nigerians in preparation for the February 25th Presidential and National Assembly elections. The commission also disclosed that about 6 million PVCs are yet to be collected.  Although the numbers of PVCs holders and vote-ready Nigerians might have increased compared with 2019 when only 72 Million PVCs were collected, they are some indices that may slur political participation across the country. Tarza Joel, 47, of Apir Ugondo of Makurdi Local Government of Benue is one of the over 2 million  Benue citizens who have collected their PVCs and are ready to vote in the coming elections, However, the chances that Tarza would vote are minimal. Tarza Joel is a father of three with disabilities who earns a living through shoemaking. He lamented how the cash swap has been unfriendly to him in the middle of fuel scarcity, which is a factor that could put him out of his polling unit. “Accessing cash over the past five days has been a daunting task. Just yesterday, I went to the market to purchase foodstuffs. Sadly, I returned with nothing because the transfer I initiated was not successful. Even when I asked to purchase it in advance, it was rejected.” He lamented.  For someone like Tarza moving from place to place on election day is just as vital as casting a ballot, but the chances are limited because of the high expense of transportation and the lack of physical cash. Like Tarza,  Paul Agana, 37, an entrepreneur from Oju Local Government who resides in Makurdi has been unable to access  cash despite waiting at the banks for days Paul accused the government and its policy implementation of disenfranchising him. “At this point, I am right to say that the government has disenfranchised me of my civic right to vote in an election.” He said. He continued, “I should have been in my hometown in Oju LG, getting ready to cast my vote. But here am I, trapped in the middle of nowhere when others are deciding the fate of the country.  Security Concerns Achin Mathias 28, from Yalewata in Guma Local said that his greatest fear has been the security of the electorate before, during, and after the elections in his community  “Although the past two weeks have been  relatively peaceful with the presence of security personnels, Going for elections tomorrow, the lives of the electorate should matter the most.  He suggests that more security measures like tech based security apparatus would boost the “confidence level of the electorates.” Achin told TheMiddleBelt Reporters.  He continued, “For me, I will be going to cast my vote but I will be doing it with fear because of apprehension of attack as it has happened before elections,” he said  The Nigerian Police force through the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Baba has revealed that a total of 425,105 personnels will be deployed nationwide for the election  The Nigerian Police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Nigerian Correctional Service, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Nigeria Immigration Service are among the organizations from which personnels are drawn, according to him  The police revealed that there are 310,973 police officers, 51,000 members of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense, 21,000 members of the Federal Road Safety Corps, 11,336 members of the Nigerian Correctional Service, 9,447 members of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, 350 members of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and 21,000 members of the Nigeria Immigration

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Jairus Awo

Jairus Awo is a Nigeiran Muiltimedia public interest journalist. He believes in the power of the media as a catalyst to development and societal growth. You can tip him an idea on Jairus@themiddlebelt.ng