#NigeriaDecides2019 | Atiku wins Benue narrowly

THE presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar narrowly defeated the APC candidate, president Mohammad Buhari by 7,569 votes in the last Saturday presidential and national assembly elections.

The result was announced by Benue State returning officer, Professor Sebastian Maimako early hours of Tuesday.

According to the returning officer, the PDP presidential candidate polled 355,255 to defeat his close rival, the APC presidential candidate who scored 347,668.

The PDP presidential candidate won in 13 local government area of the state while the APC presidential candidate won in 10 local government areas.

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The slight difference in the result of the presidential poll was received with shock by political analysts in the state who thought that Benue was a no go area for Buhari.

According to a political analyst, Solomon Terna described the vote garnered by the presidential candidate of APC as a reflection of the love the people of Benue have for president Muhammad Buhari and enjoined the president to reciprocate the gesture to the people of the state if he eventually wins the election.

“I will not say that the result of the presidential election in Benue was surprising but it is unbelievable because many people did not see it coming and the reason was as a result of the herdsmen attack on the state.

“I will not say that people closed their eyes on the attack on the state but the little information I gathered during and after the election, the N Power program of the APC led government seems to have worked in there favour in Benue”, Terna said.