Governor Samuel Ortom has lost the Benue North West senatorial election to his former aide, Titus Zam, of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Returning officer, Prof. Rufus Shaato, declared Zam winner of the poll at 3:12p.m. in Makurdi.
Declaring the result before journalists and party agents, Shaato said Zam scored 143,151 votes to emerge winner as against Ortom’s 106,882 tallies to place the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in second place, while the candidate of Labour Party (LP), Mark Gbillah, polled 51,950 ballots to emerge third.
Outcomes from the various polling units, ward and local government area collation centres indicated that the governor lost in six of the seven councils that make up the senatorial district, winning only his Guma Council.
The victor was Ortom’s Special Adviser on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs during his first tenure.
IN a related development, incumbent occupier of Benue South senatorial district, Abba Patrick Moro, has defeated Comrade Daniel Onjeh of the APC and Joseph Ojobo of the LP to retain his seat.
Announcing the results at the INEC Collation Centre in Otukpo, the Chief Returning Officer for the senatorial election, Prof. Robert Tee, said Senator Moro scored 76,459 votes to beat his closest rival and candidate of the APC, Onjeh, who garnered 59,938 ballots. Ojobo polled 40,194 votes to come third.
As of the time of filing this report, the result for Benue Northeast senatorial district with incumbent senator and former governor of the state, Gabriel Suswam of the PDP and Emmanuel Memga Udende of the APC as frontline contestants, was still being expected.
