Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has denied claims that he would decamp from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Congress (APC) or any other political party, stressing that he has no such plans.
The Governor was reacting to a recent statement credited to the State Chairman of APC, Abba Yaro, wherein he insinuated that the he (Ortom) would soon be returning to the party (APC).
In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, the Governor said it became necessary to state categorically that he is not contemplating leaving the PDP.
‘The Governor believes that the political, economic and security challenges currently facing the country cannot merely be solved by people decamping from one political party to another. He says what is most important at this point is for Nigerians of all walks of life to join hands and surmount the challenges confronting the nation,’ the statement read.
The statement added that the Governor is comfortably leading the PDP in Benue State to achieve development milestones for the people and that he remains focused on the mandate of providing good governance to all parts of the state.
The APC, responding through its acting State Publicity Secretary, James Ornguga, said the conditional statement from the APC State Chairman was not an outright announcement of Governor Ortom’s defection plans, neither was he categorical about it.
‘Comr. Abba Yaro while speaking at the decamping ceremony of Chief Barnabas Gemade in Konshisha last Friday, tacitly declared that with the return of Senator Gemade, Former Speaker, Yakubu Dogora and other top politicians who left the APC before the 2019 general election, it is possible that the Benue State Governor may also follow them to where all Nigerians are headed,’ the statement read in part.
Governor Ortom had in July 2018 left the APC and returned to the PDP, after which he contested for the 2019 governorship election and won reelection.