Anthony Iwuoma
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has described as ‘fake’ an online report, which claimed that the G-5 governors have endorsed the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, for the 2023 election.
The G-5 governors, comprising Ortom, Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Seyi Makinde (Oyo) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) have insisted on the resignation of the PDP national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, to achieve regional balancing because it would be wrong to have both the party’s presidential candidate and national champion from the same North.
Governor Ortom, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Terver Akase, on Tuesday, said the report was false and mischievous and meant to embarrass the five governors who have chosen the path of justice, fairness and equity.
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It noted that Governor Ortom had at a meeting with the state caucus of the PDP yesterday, accused the national leadership of the party of failing to use the party’s internal conflict resolution mechanism, resulting in the crisis rocking the party.
“We read a fictitious online report which claimed that the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom and his colleagues in the G-5 have resolved to work for the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to win the 2023 election,” the report read.
“The report is not only false but also mischievous as it is targeted at embarrassing the five Governors who have chosen the path of justice, fairness and equity.
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“Manufacturers of the said report were apparently on a desperate mission to score a cheap political point. The report could not mention the place and date of the said meeting of G-5 Governors. The writers only sought to take advantage of the crisis within the PDP for their selfish purposes. Governor Ortom and other members of the G-5 have not endorsed the said presidential candidate.
“When the Governor met with the expanded state caucus of PDP yesterday, January 9, 2023, at the Benue Peoples House, Makurdi, his message to them was crystal clear that the national leadership of PDP has failed to utilise its internal conflict resolution mechanism, which has led to the crisis rocking the party. The Governor said during the meeting that if the crisis is not resolved before the elections, he would be left with no other option than to take a stand on the matter. He added, however, that he wouldn’t impose his decision on members of the party in the state.
“Governor Ortom did not address the press after the meeting. The online report is, therefore, fake and should be disregarded.”
