I will only support Atiku’s presidential bid at God’s direction – Ortom

By our reporter| The choice of Ifeanyi Okowa as the vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDD) in the 2023 election appears not to have been accepted by some party leaders as Benue state governor, Samuel Ortom, on Wednesday said he is waiting for divine guidance on whether to support Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the party.

Ortom, who spoke in a chat with Arise TV on Wednesday, explained he is “fasting and praying,” before arriving at a decision.

Atiku was expected to choose Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike as his running mate but he ended up picking his Delta counterpart.

The decision apparently has not gone well with people like Ortom, who praised Wike as “somebody who stood for the party and made sure that things worked”, in the interview with Arise TV, adding,“Some of us believed in him” as the party’s best choice for the vice-presidential candidate.

The Benue state governor was adamant he will be supporting Atiku’s presidential bid only if God directs him.

“All of us have our weapon; Wike can be ‘something something’ but when it comes to mobilisation, impact, value addition, and reaching out to make sure that the party works the man is an instrument. He’s somebody who stood for the party and made sure that things worked. Some of us believed in him, but unfortunately, it was somebody else. But the party is supreme,” he said.

“However, some of us have resorted to prayers. I have been in hibernation. We’ve resorted to prayer: ‘Lord God, where do we go from here.’ I believe as a Christian that power belongs to God. The Bible says a man can receive nothing except it is given to him from above.

“I am praying. I have gone into hibernation. I am fasting and praying. So in the end, if God directs me that I should support Atiku, why should I not do it? After all, he’s my party member. But I am waiting for him to do more. I expect him to reach out to Wike, who came second in the presidential primary. The man he denied the popular view of the PDP members — 14 out of 17 — who said Wike should be the vice-presidential candidate. I expect more explanation. I expect him to talk to Wike — whom we are supporting — first. I expect him to reach out to some of us so that together we can work as a party.”