The All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate in Benue State, Chief Dr Samuel Ortom, has appealed to the electorate in the state not to rig election for him or any other candidate in the forthcoming polls.
He spoke last weekend at the Juladaco Hotel, Katsina-Ala during a rally organized by the party to woo voters in the area.
The APC had been denied access to both the Akume Atongo Stadium and the Athletics Field of Government College Katsina-Ala for the rally.
Chief Dr Ortom stated that if Nigeria must take its rightful place in the comity of nations the country’s electoral process must be free, fair and transparent and that the electorate as major stakeholders had a big role to play by refusing to rig for anyone.
The former Minister of State ,Industry, Trade, and Investment disclosed that he and leaders of his party had whole heartedly subscribed to the violence – free polls initiative of the Mdzough U Tiv and the Catholic Bishops in the state and urged their followers to be on the same page with them.
He called on the government of the day, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and all those involved with the elections to ensure that Nigeria got it right this time.
Chief Dr Ortom urged the electorate to arrest anyone who tried to subvert the polls and hand over such an individual or group to the security agencies pointing out that if elections were free and fair people were bound to accept the results with less acrimony.
The former Minister stated that he and his running mate had acquired sufficient experience in governance at all levels and would hit the ground running if given the mandate.
Also addressing the rally the APC senatorial candidate, Senator Barnabas Gemade, commended elder statesman, Wantaregh Paul Unongo, for making his property available for the rally.
He pledged that if reelected he would sustain what he described as the quality representation he had provided for the people of the district.