Dr Peter Sani Ochijele, the collation officer for the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary in Benue South held on 18 May 2026, has petitioned the Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command, to investigate an alleged falsified result sheet that was submitted by one of the contestants, Hon. Nelson Godwin Onyilokwu Alapa. The petition, filed on 30 September 2026 in Makurdi, claims the document contains altered figures and a forged signature purportedly belonging to Ochijele.
The primary saw six aspirants compete for the party’s ticket. After the nine local government area (LGA) collation officers submitted their tallies, Ochijele aggregated the numbers at the senatorial district collation centre in Lux Haven Hotel, Otukpo, and forwarded the consolidated results to the National Assembly Primary Election Collation Officer, Alhaji Sabiu Saidu Mahuta. Mahuta announced Dr Francis Ottah Agbo as the winner with 58,760 votes. The announced vote totals were: Hon. Joseph Ojobo – 6,782; Hon. Gabriel Oloche Agidani – 5,246; Hon. Dan Onje – 4,570; Hon. Nelson Godwin Onyilokwu Alapa – 4,312; and Hon. Patrick Idoko Ojechema – 2,732.
According to Ochijele, the result sheet bearing the official figures was signed by him, Mahuta and Mahuta’s secretary, Dr Bashir Garba, and subsequently distributed to the candidates’ agents, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and other relevant bodies. The announcement was observed by party stakeholders, security operatives, aspirants’ representatives, and INEC officials who monitored the process.
Alapa later instituted a case at the Federal High Court in Abuja contesting the primary outcome. The court filing included a different result sheet that listed Alapa as the winner with 24,788 votes—far above the 4,312 votes recorded in the official collation. Ochijele rejected this document, stating his role was limited to aggregating LGA results, while the declaration of the winner rested with Mahuta’s team. He also denied signing the disputed sheet and urged police to authenticate his signature against the original documents.
Alapa’s legal team, represented by Paul E. Ikwe and Jeremiah O. Adoga, echoed the collation officer’s position, asserting that the contested result “did not originate or emanate from the election which our client was the Collation Agent.” The petition asks police to verify the authenticity of both result sheets, compare the disputed version with the original announced at Otukpo, and investigate any possible manipulation or irregularities.
<small>Source: Daily Post Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>