Adoption of BIVAS signifies end of ballot box theft – Suswam

Sen. Gabriel Suswam has said that with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has tackled the challenge of ballot box snatching.

Suswam spoke on Monday in Adikpo, the headquarters of Kwande Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue, at the flag-off of the Benue North-East senatorial campaign.

He advised people against contemplating the snatching of ballot boxes, as it would be an exercise in futility.

He urged the people to concentrate on canvassing support for the People's Democratic Party (PDP).

"The era of snatching ballot boxes and other electoral materials is over." If you snatch a ballot box, you are wasting your time.

"All you need to do is man your polling units with your Permanent Voters Card (PVC) to ensure victory for our party," Suswam said.

He also advised them to refrain from campaigns of acrimony and insults and instead focus on issue-based campaigns.

Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue expressed optimism that the PDP would win overwhelmingly in the 2023 general elections.

Ortom said that with the massive turnout at the event, he was pretty sure that the Benue North East would vote massively for the party.

"I make bold to say that the Benue North-West and Benue South Senatorial Districts are the strongholds of the PDP in the state.

"Come 2023, it will be PDP all the way." "Our party will sweep all the positions," Ortom assured the gathering.

The governor said that members of the party would continue to work together for the good of the state and the PDP, stressing that he believed in the unity of purpose.

Meanwhile, the PDP governorship candidate in the state, Mr. Titus Uba, who was represented by his running mate, Mr. John Ngbede, advised the people to remain united and support the party, stressing that if they were united, victory would be theirs.

Also, the guest speaker, Dr. Paul Orhii, urged the party faithful to support all the party's candidates to enable them to attract projects to their constituencies.

Orhii particularly urged them to vote massively for Suswam to enable him to pull in more projects.

The Director-General (DG) of the campaign council in the senatorial district, Dr Paul Ubwa, had urged the people of the area to vote massively for Suswam.

He said Suswam had done well as a senator, stressing that he deserved to be re-elected for a second term.

The Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Dennis Ityavyar, said that Suswam deserved to be re-elected as a result of his quality representation.

Ityavyar said that Suswam had attracted so many valuable things to his constituency, adding that one good turn deserved another.

The co-chairperson of the occasion, Mrs. Mwuese Ubebe, assured the gathering that women in the zone would work relentlessly for PDP victory at both the state and national levels.

Former Speaker of the Benue Assembly, Mrs. Margaret Icheen, said that the PDP would take over the entire country in 2023.