Former Senate President, Sen. David Alechenu Mark has condemned pockets of election violence in some part of Benue South Senatorial District.
Mark who spoke to journalists in his Otukpo residence lamented that there were electoral violence at Otukpo-Icho and in Otukpo Local Government Areas, Benue.
He explained that some thugs took some ballot papers, tore them and went away with the ballot boxes. “They are local boys here and we know them. I have condemned the case.”
He called on security agencies to deal decisively with the perpetrators and make an example of them to serve as a deterrent to others, said he did not encourage any form of electoral offences.
“Even though I don’t support the extra judicial killing, I cannot encourage electoral violence of any kind. Certainly not, some boys should not go around disrupting elections. That is totally uncalled for. But apart from these problems, it is very impressive.”
Mark called on INEC to do the right thing by giving the electorate free, fair and credible elections, saying that if the commission did the right thing even the losers would not complain or hold any grudge.
He noted that there was massive turnout of voters in his polling unit and many others in the state where people cast their votes peacefully unlike why happened in the past.
He disclosed that the ballot papers sent to Edikwu Council Ward, Otukpo LGA, were bad and in short supply and that a certain individual held the unit to ransom insisting that election would not hold.
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The former Senator also noted that the Ward III polling unit was moved to a new place, emphasizing that the election in that polling unit did not take place as it was cancelled due to some issues.
”INEC should not create more problems for itself. The movement of the polling unit was uncalled for,” he said.
He lamented that it was unfortunate that INEC did not make arrangement for backup of the Smart Card Readers, stressing that they malfunctioned in some polling units causing delay in voting.
He further said that some polling units did not have ink pads, describing it as a national embarrassment.
”It took INEC four years to prepare for the election, so, some of the hitches ought to have been avoided.
”Anyway, we are a developing nation and that is where we have found ourselves.
”However, on the whole, we are improving in the electoral process. The enthusiasm of the electorates and the massive turn out to carry out their civic responsibility is what has impressed me,” he said.
