At last, INEC announces date for rescheduled 2023 elections in Benue LGA

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC has fixed Tuesday, March 21, 2023 for the conduct of the Governorship and House of Assembly elections of two constituencies in Kwande Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State, which could not hold last Saturday.

The Commission had postponed elections in the LGA, after it detected error prints on ballot papers for both Kwande East and Kwande West State Constituencies.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of INEC in Benue State, Professor Sam Egwu, in a press conference Monday at the Commission’s head office in Makurdi, the state capital said sensitive materials including ballot papers for the rescheduled elections had arrived and would be made available by the Commission for inspection by political parties before the conduct of the exercise.

The REC urged stakeholders, political parties and their candidates, security agencies and ad-hoc staff engaged for the conduct of the exercise on Saturday to return.

“On behalf of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, I wish to announce that the Governorship and State Assembly elections earlier postponed on 18th March, 2023, have been rescheduled to hold on Tuesday, 21st March, 2023.

“It is important to inform the public that the ballot papers for the state Assembly constituencies have been reprinted and ready to be deployed to Kwande Local Government Area,” he said.

“As I speak to you, INEC Benue State, have got the permission of the Commission in Abuja and is preparing for both the Governorship and the 2 state Assembly elections for tomorrow.”

On insinuation whether the INEC will declare winner of the Governorship election in the state or not until the outcome of the rescheduled polls in Kwande LGA, Professor Sam Egwu said, “I am not in the position to say whether the result of the governorship election would be declared today or not.

“I cannot categorically state here whether the outcome of the election would be inconclusive or not.

“Like all other elections, governorship election is guided by law. It is at the end of collating of the 22 local government results that are available that the Commission will be able to determine as whether to declare a winner, or wait for the Kwande election.

“Until we get to that point, it is academic to talk about declaration now”.