27th September, 2022
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has rubbished reports that he has broken away from Governor Nyesom Wike and pitched tent with Atiku Abubakar.
He dismissed the reports as a ruse, saying he he is still fully with Wike and would not abandon him.
The governor, who spoke with newsmen on Tuesday shortly after returning from a brief London trip, insisted that he stood with Wike and frowns at the injustices meted out on him.
Nathaniel Ikyur, Chief Press Secretary to Ortom said Thisday Newspaper had in screaming headline of Tuesday, September 27th, twisted the statement from the Governor’s media aide with the caption; “Ortom Breaks With Wike, Says He Is Not Supporting Ayu’s Removal.”
The Governor at the briefing said the news story was not only mischievous but misleading to further fuel the impasse within the PDP and sow a seed of discord between him and his Rivers State counterpart and other members of the group.
The governor reiterated: “There is no breaking away from our group. I still sympathize with Wike for the injustices meted out on him and our group.”
He said, “The Thisday news report is misleading. I just came back from London this morning with Wike and I still maintain my stand on what I said. I have not moved away from there. The party leadership has not been fair to Governor Wike based on the activities that took place during the convention and after the convention.
“They have not been able to adequately deploy the internal conflict resolution mechanism of the party to resolve those issues. So I still sympathize and stand with Wike and let the leadership of the party at the national level do the right thing. It is not too late to do so.”
According to Ortom “Politics is about interest, and where your interest is not protected, you have the right to protest” stressing that “We remain committed to the PDP but still want the right thing to be done, so that everybody will be carried along.”
He noted that it was not late to resolve the issues, pointing out that with the interface he had with the Board of Trustees, BOT of the party, he hoped that issues would be properly addressed.
“The issue in contention about the national Chairman, the BOT, was here some few days ago and we deliberated on the matter. They sought to know what my feeling was about the crisis and I told them the truth as far I am concerned.
“I gave them my recommendations and I hope that justice will be done so that our party will gain its position to take over power in 2023,” he said.
The governor maintained that despite the crisis rocking the party at the national level, Benue State did not have any problem, stressing that “from bottom to top, we are good to go, as far as our party is concerned. I am working for our candidates.”
On the outcome of the caucus meeting, the governor said after due consultations, a Benue North-West Senatorial campaign team for the Senate would be constituted, pointing out that it would be integrated into the main campaign council of PDP in Benue State.