Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue, says he would not impose
his choice of a presidential candidate on members of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) in the state.
Ortom also denied having declared support for Atiku
Abubakar, presidential candidate of the opposition party.
He was reported to have expressed support for Abubakar’s
presidential bid in a meeting with PDP stakeholders in Benue on Monday.
But reacting through Terver Akase, his adviser on media and
publicity, Ortom described the report as “false and mischievous”, adding that
the report was authored for “selfish purposes”.
“We read a fictitious
online report which claimed that the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, and
his colleagues in the G5 have resolved to work for the presidential candidate
of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to win the 2023
election,” the statement reads.
“The report is not only false but also mischievous as it is
targeted at embarrassing the five governors who have chosen the path of
justice, fairness, and equity. Manufacturers of the said report were apparently
on a desperate mission to score a cheap political point.
“The report could not mention the place and date of the said
meeting of G5 Governors. The writers only sought to take advantage of the
crisis within the PDP for their selfish purposes. Governor Ortom and other
members of the G5 have not endorsed the said presidential candidate.”
Ortom said when he finally announces his choice of
presidential candidate he will not impose it on the PDP members in the state.
“When the Governor met with the expanded state caucus of PDP
yesterday, January 9, 2023, at the Benue Peoples House, Makurdi, his message to
them was crystal clear that the national leadership of PDP has failed to
utilise its internal conflict resolution mechanism which has led to the crisis
rocking the party.
“The Governor said during the meeting that if the crisis is
not resolved before the elections, he would be left with no other option than
to take a stand on the matter. He added, however, that he wouldn’t impose his
decision on members of the party in the state.
“Stakeholders present at the meeting commended the Governor
for his patriotic disposition and pledged to line up behind him. Those who
spoke on behalf of zones A, B, and C, as well as for women and youths, all said
Governor Ortom has shown the character of a dependable leader who puts the
interest of his people first.
“The stakeholders
pledged to find ways of resolving the internal crisis rocking the party while
assuring the Governor that they would continue to stand with him through thick
and thin. Governor Ortom did not address the press after the meeting. The
online report is, therefore, fake and should be disregarded.”
Known as G5, five PDP governors — Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seyi
Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), and Ortom —
have been absent from the campaign rallies of Abubakar and are demanding the
resignation of Iyorchia Ayu as the national chairman of the party.
The demand for Ayu’s resignation is on the grounds that the
party’s presidential candidate and national chairman cannot be from the same
region.
The governors said they will reveal who they intend to
support as president before the end of January.
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