Former governor of Benue State and incumbent Senator representing Benue North West, George Akume, has lost his bid to return to the National Assembly for the fourth time.

Governor Samuel Ortom said Akume deserves the humiliation, describing the former governor’s defeat as a retirement from politics.

He accused Akume of playing God in Benue politics. Akume was defeated by the serving House of Representatives member representing Buruku constituency, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Yisa Orker Jev, in six out of seven local government areas of the state.

Announcing the results, the INEC Collation Officer, Prof. Nicodemus Agbulu, said Jev polled 157,726 votes while Akume lost with 115,422 votes; a margin of 42,304 votes. Prof. Agbulu said the total valid votes were 278,997, rejected votes stood at 8,031 while total valid votes were 287,028.

On request by Akume that the election be cancelled, Agbulu said the election cannot be annulled or cancelled as it was credibly conducted. Speaking on the development, Ortom said he predicted the fall of Akume.

“I have never told you something and it never comes to pass. I told you I will retire Senator Akume in politics and it has come to pass today. I speak from inspiration of God. People who play God should know that their end would be disastrous.

“People who played God should know that their ends would be disastrous. I have read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and I know that anyone that tries God, including me, to share the glory of God can never survive. God is real, God is in heaven and earth. Psalm 24 said, the earth belongs to God and its fullness thereof.

“So when people begin to play God, they are taking the position of God, their end would be disastrous because you cannot share the glory of God,” Ortom stated.

Akume, a former Minority Leader of the Senate from June 2011 to June 2015, fought immediate past Senate President, David Mark to become President of the Upper chamber of the National Assembly, but failed.

He was elected to the Senate in 2007 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but dumped the then ruling party for the APC legacy party.

•Excerpted from a New Telegraph report

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