Nigerian Concord Newspaper
…Express Confidence in Her Capacity to Deliver Effective Representation
The attention of leaders, elders and stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Benue North West Senatorial District (Zone B) has been drawn to the deliberate smear campaign and coordinated misinformation being circulated on social media regarding the emergence of Dr. Mrs. Eunice Erdoo Ortom as the candidate of our great party for the 2027 Benue North West Senatorial election.
2. Ordinarily, we would have ignored the desperate propaganda of political jobbers and merchants of falsehood whose stock-in-trade is blackmail and distortion. However, in the interest of truth, posterity, and the unsuspecting public, we deem it necessary to clearly state the facts surrounding the decision reached by the elders and stakeholders of Zone B.
3. In the early part of May, 2026, we, leaders and critical stakeholders of the PDP across the various local government areas of Benue North West Senatorial District met in Makurdi and unanimously resolved that, in the spirit of fairness, equity, justice and political balancing, the Zone B Senate seat for 2027 should be ceded to the Nongov axis of Guma Local Government Area of the state.
4. That resolution was reached after extensive consultations and broad consensus among stakeholders from across the zone. The decision was not influenced by any individual ambition, family interest or imposition as falsely portrayed by detractors. It was a collective and voluntary decision of the people and leadership of the PDP in Zone B.
5. In furtherance of that resolution, stakeholders unanimously agreed that the immediate past Governor of Benue State, Chief Samuel Ortom, who courageously contested the 2023 senatorial election and remains one of the most influential political leaders of North Central Nigeria, should be accorded the right of first refusal for the 2027 Senate ticket.
6. It is important to state unequivocally that Chief Ortom initially declined repeated calls and appeals by party faithful and stakeholders urging him to personally rejoin the senatorial race. His decision was informed by personal conviction and his desire to continue supporting the party and the people from a broader leadership position.
7. However, we, stakeholders, elders, women leaders, youth groups and party loyalists from across the district passionately appealed that since Chief Ortom had chosen not to contest, he should graciously permit his wife, Dr. Mrs. Eunice Ortom, to answer the overwhelming call of the people to serve.
8. That appeal was neither accidental nor manipulated. It was based on the proven capacity, competence, compassion and impeccable public record of Dr. Mrs. Eunice Ortom, whose years of selfless humanitarian service have earned her immense goodwill and widespread acceptance among the people of Benue State and beyond.
9. As First Lady of Benue State for eight years, Dr. Mrs. Ortom distinguished herself through uncommon dedication to the welfare of women, children, internally displaced persons, widows, vulnerable families and the less privileged. Through the Eunice Spring of Life Foundation, she touched countless lives positively by championing humanitarian interventions, educational support, healthcare advocacy, women empowerment and social protection programmes across the state.
10. It is on record that during the administration of Chief Ortom as Governor, with the able support of his darling wife Dr. Eunice, Benue women were given more than 40 percent of local government Chairmanship positions, and many more were appointed into the State Executive Council as either Commissioners or Special Advisers.
11. Dr. Mrs. Eunice Ortom’s interventions were never restricted by political affiliation, ethnic identity or religious considerations. She became a mother figure to many displaced and vulnerable people during some of the most difficult periods in the history of Benue State. Her compassion, humility and accessibility endeared her to ordinary people across communities.
12. It is therefore intellectually dishonest for anyone to suggest that Dr. Mrs. Ortom should be denied the opportunity to contest simply because she is married to Chief Samuel Ortom. Such arguments are not only illogical and discriminatory, but they also amount to a direct attack on the rights, individuality, capacity and independent identity of women in leadership.
13. Dr. Mrs. Ortom is a distinguished personality in her own right. She possesses her own credentials, track record, experience and public goodwill which qualify her for public office. Democracy is fundamentally about the free choice of the people, and the people of Zone B have freely expressed confidence in her capacity to represent them effectively at the Red Chamber of the National Assembly.
14. Those peddling the false narrative that “Chief Ortom and his wife are the same person” are merely afraid of the overwhelming acceptance and political strength of Dr. Mrs. Ortom. Their smear campaign is borne out of fear, desperation and the realization that her candidacy enjoys genuine grassroots support across the senatorial district.
15. The desperate attempt by some political opponents to insinuate that Dr. Mrs. Eunice Ortom should not enjoy the support of the people because of the false narrative that her husband did not perform well as Governor is nothing but another failed propaganda strategy designed to diminish her towering profile and intimidate her growing popularity across Zone B. Those behind such campaigns are clearly uncomfortable with the overwhelming goodwill, credibility and acceptance which Dr. Mrs. Ortom enjoys among the people owing to her years of selfless humanitarian service and grassroots connection.
16. For the avoidance of doubt, Chief Samuel Ortom remains one of the most transparent and people-oriented Governors Benue State has produced in recent history. Under his administration, labour unions were, for the first time in the history of the state, incorporated into the State Joint Account Allocation Committee to promote transparency and accountability in the management and appropriation of government funds.
17. Despite severe economic challenges and the devastating impact of insecurity on the state’s economy, his administration paid 91 out of 96 months of workers’ salaries and pensions, in addition to the seven months owed by the Suswam administration. Governor Ortom also domesticated the Pensions Act in the state and his administration made contributions of nearly N10 billion as at May 2023.
18. His government also executed numerous infrastructural projects cutting across Zones A, B and C, including road construction and rehabilitation projects, massive investments in primary healthcare facilities, and the execution of well over a thousand primary school projects aimed at improving learning conditions for Benue children. These achievements, among many others, remain visible and verifiable testimonies of purposeful leadership and commitment to the development of Benue State.
19. The Ortom administration also acquired state-of-the-art equipment for the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, in addition to ensuring the commencement of the graduation of medical doctors from the university’s School of Health Sciences for the first time after the stagnation of its accreditation in 12 years. These and lots more defined the policy direction of the Ortom administration.
20. We need not overemphasize Chief Ortom’s proactive and sustained defense of Benue people against insecurity, particularly the mindless attacks on the people by armed Fulani herders. The enactment of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law by the Ortom administration in 2017 did not only redefine the battle against insecurity in the state but also put Benue on the map of states in the global arena who had embraced modern methods of animal husbandry.
21. It is therefore dishonest and politically mischievous for anyone to attempt to rewrite history simply because they are threatened by the credibility and acceptability of Dr. Mrs. Eunice Ortom. The people of Zone B are politically conscious and cannot be deceived by sponsored falsehoods and propaganda.
22. We wish to emphasize that no law, constitutional provision or democratic principle prohibits a qualified woman from contesting for office because of her marital relationship. To suggest otherwise is to promote dangerous prejudice and undermine the advancement of women in politics and governance.
23. The PDP stakeholders of Zone B therefore stand firmly by the collective decision reached on 16th May, 2026 and reaffirm our total confidence in Dr. Mrs. Eunice Ortom as the unanimous choice of the party for the 2027 Benue North West Senatorial election.
24. We urge party faithful and the general public to disregard the malicious propaganda being sponsored against her and Chief Samuel Ortom. The people of Benue Zone B are united in this decision and remain resolute in our commitment to presenting credible, compassionate and people-oriented leadership.
25. We therefore advise those engaging in endless attacks against Dr. Mrs. Eunice Ortom and Chief Samuel Ortom to accept the reality that our party in Zone B has already made its choice, and the decision is final and irreversible. Dr. Mrs. Ortom emerged through a broad-based consensus of elders, leaders and stakeholders of the party, and no amount of blackmail, propaganda or sponsored social media attacks can alter that democratic decision. If those opposing her emergence genuinely believe they have a more credible alternative, they should channel their energy towards promoting their preferred candidate and presenting their ideas to the people, rather than resorting to bitterness, character assassination and desperate attacks against a woman whose only “offence” is her proven record of compassion, service and acceptability among the people. Democracy thrives on healthy competition of ideas and popularity, not on smear campaigns driven by fear and political insecurity.
Signed:
1.Sen. Fred Orti
2. Dr. Laha Dzever
3. Hon. Charles Torbunde
4. Dr. Adzer Abya
5. Bar. Michael Gusa
6. Chief Godwin Uwua
7. Dr. Mark Achaku
8. Hon Isaac Mffo
9. Hon. Barr Pius Gugu
10. Hon. Gabriel Tyona Gbenyi
12. Chief Jerome Uyina
13. Rt. Hon. William Ortyom
14. Hon. Bar. Ken Achabo
15. Hon. Solomon Gila
16. Hon. Caleb Abah