#BenueDecides Gov. Suswam And PDP Candidate Tarzoor Congratulate Governor-Elect Ortom

Erstwhile Minister of State for Trade and Industries and candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Samuel Ortom, has won the Benue governorship election held on Saturday.

Returning Officer for the state, Istifinus Dafwang, who announced the results on Monday in Makurdi, said Mr. Ortom polled 422,932 votes to beat seven other contestants.

The results showed that Mr. Ortoms’s closest rival in the contest, Terhemen Tarzoor of the Peoples’ Democratic Party?,? scored 313,878 votes.

However, the results showed that the PDP would retain its dominance in the state legislature, having won 15 seats as against 14 by the APC and one by the Labour Party.

Reacting to the results, Iyorwuese Hagher, who served as the Director General of Mr. Tarzoor Campaign Organization, congratulated the winner of the election.

He appealed to the people to support the newly-elected governor to succeed in the task of rebuilding the state.

Mr. Hagher expressed some misgivings in the manner the polls were held. He, however, said the party had accepted the result in the “spirit of greater Benue state’?’?.?

“We prefer to move forward and forget the indiscretions of the INEC returning officer,” he added.

He promised that the PDP in the state would be strengthened, as it had “grown lean from divisive politics”.

It would be recalled that NewsWireNgr reported that incumbent Governor Gabriel Suswam had called Ortom by telephone to congratulate him for the well deserved victory as governor-elect,  when the results will finally be announced.

Suswam described the victory as the work of God.

A personal aide to Ortom confirmed the telephone discussion of Suswam with the APC governorship candidate to newsmen and stated that “Suswam has called Ortom to congratulate him; it was at about 10.56am on Sunday and they spoke peacefully.”

Also Rt. Hon Terhemen Tarzoor, Governorship Candidate of the PDP in last Saturday’s election has congratulated Governor- elect, Chief Dr. Samuel Ortom, over his victory in last Saturday’s governorship election.

In a telephone call yesterday by 9.40PM Rt. Hon. Tarzoor said he aspired for the position so as to have the opportunity to make his contributions to the development of the state but the election of Chief Ortom was a clear indication that Benue people have spoken.

He wished the Governor- elect a successful tenure of office and God’s blessings.