Our reporter| Governor Samuel Ortom, and Benue state elders on Tuesday withdrew support for the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar.
The Benue state governor accused Atiku of dishonoring him as Governor and working against the interest of Benue residents.
Ortom’s comments came on the heel of the decision by a group of elder statesmen in Benue, Minda Leaders of Thoughts, who earlier on Tuesday withdrew their support for Atiku over alleged hate speech and profiling of the people of the state.
The governor and the elders, who accused Atiku of working with Miyetti Allah, were incensed by Atiku’s comments on the recent killings by suspected herdsmen in Benue state.
“It was not correct for a presidential candidate who is seeking to rule the people to say that kind of thing,” Ortom said on Tuesday at the Chapel of Grace, Government House, Makurdi.
“It was very wrong. And it would appear that he doesn’t even reference me and consider me to be a Governor of my state.”
Ortom also said Atiku had sidelined him in selecting his presidential campaign team.
“I am not in his campaign team,” Ortom said. “The people they appointed there, no consent from me. So I’ll remain on my own. But I’m waiting; when the election comes, we shall vote the election according to the election.”
However, reacting to Ortom’s comment on Channels Television’s Politics Today, a member of the PDP presidential campaign team, Dele Momodu, faulted the Benue Governor.
“To label him an agent of Miyetti-Allah, that’s wrong,” Momodu said. “He can say anything about Atiku Abubakar, but to call him an agent of Miyetti Allah, I disagree vehemently with that.
“If you don’t want to support a man . . . it’s very easy to give a dog a bad name, in order to hang it. But it is wrong to disparage a man who has served his country meritoriously, who has done everything he could for every part of his country . . . but because you are playing politics, because you disagree with him, then you use such weighty words against him, well there’s always another time.
“I am telling you that even Governor Wike, who is supposed to be the angriest among them, because he participated in our primaries, he has not used such words against Atiku Abubakar.”
Ortom is one of several PDP Governors who have decided not to actively support Atiku’s 2023 presidency bid.
Others include Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo, and Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State.
With Channels Television report
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