By Bridget Ikyado-Tikyaa

Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has cast his votes in the State Local Government elections in his home town Mbagul in Vandiekya local government of Benue.

The governor performed his civic duties at exactly 2:42p.m with many citizens in participation.

It would be recalled that the governor had officially declared Friday, October 4th, 2024, as a work-free day for all citizens to prepare for the day.

He said that the declaration was necessitated by his desire to give the electorate of Benue State ample opportunity to travel to their respective local government areas in preparation for the elections

His Excellency commended the citizens of Benue for complying and participating activly in the electoral process.

He expressed confidence that with the right commitment and participation,as he has observed from various parts of the state,the elections will be conducted smoothly and fairly to the end

He restated the need for the citizens to prioritize peaceful conduct and collaboration during the elections, reinforcing the need for unity and cooperation among all parties involved.

The Benue State House of Assembly has amended 2007 Local Government (LG) and approved a three-year tenure for LG elected officials.The amendment of the 2007 LG law took place on Friday, few hours before local government elections slated for Saturday. The house, presided over by its Speaker, Hyacinth Dajoh, unanimously agreed that the LG law be amended after clause-to-clause in consideration of the bill.

The house therefore expunged the two-year tenure, which was in the former law in sections 13(2) and 27(3), and substituted it with three-year tenure. Ruling after the legislative processes, Dajoh agreed that the amendment was necessary to allow the chairmen enough time to develop their areas.The bill has been sent to the governor for his assent.In a separate development, the assembly confirmed the appointment of Mr Halem Ikyo of Zone B and Mr David Ochapa of Zone C as deputy clerks of the house. (NAN)

Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) on Friday distributed sensitive materials to the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state.BSIEC Information Officer, Mrs Marvis Toryem, told our correspondent that distribution is part of preparations for local government elections slated for Saturday.

Toryem said that the distribution began at 3 p. m. with tight security.The information officer told our correspondent that the commission started the distribution with remote local governments to enable the elections to start early. According to her, the distribution was seamless and peaceful.She said that the state government-owned transport company Benue Links was solely used for conveying sensitive materials to various destinations. (NAN)