The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced a Roman Catholic priest and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia as winner of the Saturday governorship election.

INEC, through the Returning Officer, Prof Faruq Kuta, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, made the announcement on Monday in Makurdi, the state capital.

Alia defeated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Titus Uba and Herman Lorwase Hembe of the Labour Party.

He polled a total of 473, 933 votes to defeat Titus Uba, his closest opponent who got 223,913 votes.

Alia is expected to take over from the incumbent governor, Samuel Ortom of the PDP.