Fresh crisis has been ignited in the camp of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Southern Nigeria has appeared to withdraw his support for the Presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar.
Gatekeepers News reports that Ortom accused the PDP candidate of dishonouring him as Governor and working against the interest of Benue residents.
His comments come after a group of elder statesmen in Benue, Minda Leaders of Thoughts also withdrew their support for Atiku over alleged hate speech and profiling of Benue people.
Governor Ortom appeared to have been incensed over Atiku’s comments on the recent killings by suspected herdsmen in the State.
He accused Atiku of working with Miyetti Allah, a herdsmen group with a militant arm.
Ortom at the Chapel of Grace, Government House, Makurdi on Tuesday said, “It was not correct for a presidential candidate who is seeking to rule the people to say that kind of thing.
“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.”
The Benue State Governor also said Atiku had sidelined him in selecting his presidential campaign team.
Ortom said, “I am not in his campaign team… 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.”
In reaction to this, a member of the PDP presidential campaign team, Dele Momodu, while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today faulted the Benue Governor.
Momodu said, “To label him an agent of Miyetti-Allah, that’s wrong… 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.
The group of Southern Governors led by Wike have called for the replacement of the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, with a Southerner.
According to them, Ayu who is a northerner promised to resign if the PDP ticket goes to a northerner.
However, Ayu has indicated he will not step down, till after the General elections in February.
