Youths protest APC’s call for deployment of military for elections

Youths in Benue state on Wednesday stormed the streets of Makurdi, the state capital, to protest the recent call by the All Progressives Congress, (APC) for the deployment of the military to the state to oversee Saturday’s governorship and state House of Assembly elections in the state.

Recall that some youths of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had on Tuesday demanded for the deployment of more security personnel to the state for Saturday’s governorship and state House of Assembly elections.

Similarly, leaders of the APC in the state including a former governor, Senator George Akume, and the Jime/Ode Campaign Organization had variously called for the deployment of more security for this Saturday’s elections.

However, on Wednesday, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) youths matched to the Benue Government House to register their protest.

Leader of the protesting youths and one of the founding members of the Movement Against Fulani Occupation, (MAFO) Pastor Dave Ogbole, said the request for the deployment of the military for election purposes in the state was suspicions and smacked of an intention to both strangulate the people and rig the elections.

Ogbole who noted that the group was aware of the recent deployment of top military personnel whom they heard has no regards for a civil relationship, insisted that “Benue youths say no to the plot.”

“When the people of our state were subjected to unimaginable trauma occasioned by ceaseless killings and sacking of Benue communities by armed herdsmen, those now calling for the military for election purposes failed to impress it on the Federal government to deploy the military to stem the killing.”

Governor Samuel Ortom, while receiving the protesting youths, pointed out that elections in the state had so far been peaceful and wondered why leaders of the APC were bent on using the military to subvert the coming election.

“All we demand is a level playing field for all the parties. We are going into the elections prepared and for us, it is not a do-or-die matter because we know and they also know that Benue is PDP and the people will resist any attempt to subvert the process.”