‘Idoma’ll support Mark’

The Director of Senator David Mark Campaign Organisation, Dr. Adakole Elijah, has slammed the 

All Progressives Congress candidate in the Benue-South senatorial district rerun election, Daniel 

Onjeh, over his comments that the Idoma people are no longer in support of Mark’s ambition to 

represent them at the Senate.

Elijah said contrary to Onjeh’s claim, the Idoma people would support Mark rather than him (Onjeh) 

to represent them at the upper legislative chamber.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Makurdi had last Saturday annulled Mark’s election and ordered a 

rerun within 90 days.

Mark, who is the immediate past Senate President, is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The campaign director, in a statement issued on Thursday, described the judgment of the appellate 

court as shallow and lacking in logic.

He faulted the appellate court for relying on the clerical error of the returning officer, who signed the 

result on the 28th instead of March 29, 2015.

Elijah also described a statement issued by the Benue State Government that it did not interfere in the 

judgment of the court as “a case of the owl crying in the night and the child dying in the morning.

“Why did the state government deny having a hand in the judgment when it was not accused? We 

want to get the judgment and expose them,” he said.

The statement added, “What the court ought to have done was to set aside the declaration and collate 

the result since the date does not invalidate election if there was a clerical error, in so far as it does 

not change the result. We would not join issues with Onjeh to dignify him.

“The Idoma people are not fools and they would continue to maintain their support for Mark in order 

to protect their integrity and destiny. We will not toy with our destiny and that of our children to a 

man who does not have our interest at heart.”

    by   Toluwani Eniola