The chairman Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) Richard Tombuwua has insisted that the just concluded local government election held across the 276 council wards of the state were credible, fair and transparent and commended the electorates for their peaceful conducts, before, during and after the elections.
Barr. Tombuwua who made his views known when the leadership of the Nigeria Union Of Journalists, Radio Benue chapel, led by its chairman comrade Paul Mandeun conferred on him award of the ‘Defender of Democracy in Our Generation’ at the headquarters of BSIEC in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, also commended the electorates for conducting themselves peacefully.
In his remarks, the BSIEC boss also applauded journalists in the state, particularly those in radio Benue, for acknowledging credibility. He said that from the onset of the electioneering process that led to the election, the media were involved as major stakeholders to ensure adequate dissemination of information to the public to avoid misleading information about the process.
“We didn’t even know that we were being monitored closely by men of the pen profession who at the end decided to honour me for adhering to due process, by conferring on me this award of excellence; I want to dedicate this award to the Governor of Benue State Hyacinth Alia who gave me the platform and support to conduct a transparent LG polls that have earned me this award,” he said.
While commending the governor for standing by his words of not interfering in the electioneering process, the chairman stated that the award given to him will spur him and his entire team to continue to work within the ambit of the law to uphold credibility in all their endeavours.
In his address, the chapel chairman of Radio Benue, comrade Mandeun, who described the election as transparent, said, ” We deem it expedient to acknowledge the spiritual eye of Governor Alia , who figured out this achiever among many citizens for the onerous task that has shaped the history of democracy in Benue State.”
