The Rescheduled Election Committee for the Benue State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary has announced Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia as the winner of the 2023 re-run election conducted in 11 local government areas of the State.
This is even as the committee chairman, Senator Basheer Lado, declared Fr. Alia as the overall winner of the APC governorship primary election held across the 23 local government areas of the State, having scored a total number of 410,682 votes to beat 12 other aspirants in the race.
Announcing the results after the rerun that held in 11 LGAs of the State, Senator Lado informed that Rev. Fr. Alia scored a total number of 219,002 votes to defeat other aspirants.
Given a breakdown of the scores for each contestant in the re-run primary election, Sen. Lado said Arc. Benard Yisa scored a total votes of 136; Sam Ode got 255 votes; Dr.Mattias Ibuan recorded 4,797 votes; Micheal Aondoakaa scored 606 votes; Senator Barnabas Gemade received 450 votes; Herman Hembe scored 688 votes; Terwase Orbunde got two votes; Chief Stephen Lawani won 120 votes; Ayom Mlanga received 766 votes, and Prof. Terhemba Shija scored 219 votes.
According to him, the total number of registered voters for the 23 local government areas of the State stands at 868,010 with Matthias Ibyuan scoring a total number of 14,593 votes; Arc. Benard Yisa – 581; Sen. Barnabas Gemade – 5,125; Dr Terrumun Ikya – 2,851; Revd. Fr Alia scored 410,682 votes; Micheal Aondoakaa – 3,815 votes; Godwin Tyoachimin – 1139 votes; Chief Stephen Lawani – 21,172; Prof. Terhemba Shija – 2,217 votes; Ayom Mlanga – 219; Sam Ode – 22,319 votes; Terwase Orbunde – 1391 votes, and Herman Hembe scored a total number of 638 votes.
He said: “I hereby declare Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia who scored a total number of 410,682 votes, and having scored the highest number of votes, as the winner of the election.”
Our correspondent reports that after the announcement of the result, a special congress was held to affirm the candidacy of Fr. Alia by the State’s APC chairman, Comrade Austin Agada.
While calling on APC members to stay united and rally round the party’s governorship candidate for victory, Agada said: “the voice of God has been replicated in this rerun and you have chosen who you want to lead you and victory must be ours in 2023.”