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Benue North-West Senatorial Election: Rep tackle INEC over duplication of name ,inefficiency

       ** I 've distanced myself from NNPP -Hon. Gbillah

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JONAS EZIEKE, Abuja

 

The member representing Gwer East and West Federal Constituency of Benue State in the House of Representatives Hon. Mark Gbillah has tasked the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to be more efficient in the nation’s electoral system lamenting the duplication of his name as two popular parties candidate for Benue North-West Senatorial District saying that he belongs only to the Labour Party and is the flag bearer for Senate.

 

The lawmaker said that the INEC had breached the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2022 by duplication of his name as  the senatorial candidate of both the New Nigeria Peoples Party NNPP and the Labour Party LP for the 2023 general elections in the senatorial zone

 

He also called on the Benue State Governor Dr.Samuel Otorm to desist from using his political appointees to sponsor spurious news or publications intended to malign his reputation in the ongoing campaign by political parties ahead of the senatorial election in the district.

 

Addressing the press on the matter at the House Press Corps National Assembly, the lawmaker said that following the withdrawal of the NNPP candidate for the Benue North-West Senatorial District and in line with the Commission’s responsibilities in the Electoral Act 2022, INEC officials in the communities in the senatorial district monitored the primary of the party on July 12, 2022 in the senatorial district.

 

Gbillah also said that the purpose of the primary election was to substitute the party’s candidate for the senatorial district and the congress took place at the party’s secretariat Makurdi Benue.

 

He also hinted that although there was no written list of contestants for the primary election, however, one contestant Mr Ako Andoaver Francis emerged as the candidate for the election through open ballot system and was validly returned as elected NNPP candidate.

 

The two term lawmaker however expressed dismay that the INEC in its publication of list of candidates for the 2022 election on September 20, 2022 published his name as the New Nigeria Peoples Party NNPP and Labour Party candidate for the senatorial district.

 

He informed journalist that following the outcome of the NNPP primary, he wrote to both the INEC and the party leadership separately informing them of his withdrawal from the party as a member and as a senatorial candidate adding that “i ‘ve since distance myself from the party”.

 

He also said that he contested and emerged the Labour Party LP candidate of the Senarorial district and there are clearly attempts by his detractors to malign his reputation and disparage his personality because of his popularity in the senatorial district.

 

The former Peoples Democratic Party PDP lawmaker said that his contesting against the Benue State Governor Dr Samuel Ortom in the senatorial district in his new party and had written to INEC and deposed an affidavit on the issue of his membership of a political party.

 

He also alleged that the governor is using the Chief Executive Officer CEO  of an online television FirstTV.Com James Igbudu to sponsor false, malicious and premeditated false news and publications against him ahead of the general polls.

 

He added that he has a constitutional right to contest against the governor and the report on the news platform about his membership of two political parties is fake news adding that both the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2022 and the Peace Accord signed by the presidential candidates of all political parties ‘ve  clear provisions against it.

 

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