The announcement of the Benue State governorship election results on Monday, 20th March, was met with great excitement as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate and Governor-elect Hyacinth Alia, emerged victorious.
The Roman Catholic priest garnered a total of 473,933 votes, defeating his closest contender, Titus Uba of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 223,913 votes.
The electoral body, citing section 24(1) of the Electoral Act (2022) and INEC Guidelines for the election, declared Mr. Alia the winner of the 2023 Benue State governorship election, given his lead of 250,020 votes based on the total number of votes collated from 22 out of the 23 local government areas of Benue State.
The margin of victory, though impressive, was not enough to cover the remaining local government area, Kwande LGA, where the election was shifted to Tuesday, 21 March, due to printing errors in ballot papers.
However, the number of PVCs collected in the affected areas stood at 156,826, which is below Fr Alia’s lead, leading the electoral umpire to declare him the winner of the election.
Mr. Alia’s win was celebrated not only by his supporters but also by the entire state, as his victory marks a new era in the state’s governance. His campaign focused on bringing about sustainable development and promoting peace and harmony among the people of Benue State.
As the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) began the collation of the governorship election results at the Benue Governorship Election State Collation Centre in Makurdi on Sunday, it was clear that the people of Benue State had spoken, and their voices were heard loud and clear. Mr. Alia’s triumph in the election is a testament to the power of democracy and the will of the people to effect change.
The people of Benue State look forward to a bright future under the leadership of Governor-Elect Hyacinth Alia who emerged victorious, and confident that the governor-elect who is a catholic priest, will fulfill his promises and lead the state toward a path of growth and development
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