Elections suspended in parts of Benue over violence

Governorship and House of Assembly elections in parts of Benue State have been rescheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as as a result of electoral violence.

Some armed thugs burnt all electoral materials for Mbalon ward in Gwer East area of Benue, north-central Nigeria, in the early hours of Saturday, ahead of the March 9 governorship and legislative elections.

It was gathered that the hoodlums on arrival fired shots in the air before setting on fire the RCM Primary School in Aya. The materials were yet to be distributed to polling units in the ward when the attack occurred.

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The Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, for Benue state, Yilwatda Nentawe who announced postponement of the polls on Saturday in Makurdi, listed the affected areas to include Mbalon ward in Gwer East, Yandev North ward in Gboko and Manger ll ward in Tarka local government areas of the state.

According to the REC, “the election in Mbalon is rescheduled because of the burning of electoral materials by thugs while in Yandev North and Manger II wards the elections will be rescheduled because our electoral officers were held hostage.”

Nentawe explained that elections would be held in the affected wards on a date to be announced by the umpire body. Vanguard gathered that unknown armed thugs had at the late hours of Friday attacked Mbalon INEC office destroying various electoral materials intended for use in the governorship and state assembly elections.

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