Nigerian Concord Newspaper
The leadership crisis rocking the Benue state chapter of People’s Democratic Party may have been put to rest as stakeholders across the twenty three local government areas of the state, the party officials as well as the most powerful organ of the party, the G-14 today affirmed that the immediate past governor of the state, Chief Samuel Ortom PhD is the supreme leader of PDP in Benue state.
The affirmation was made today when the representatives of the party, stakeholders, members of G-14 and party officials across the twenty three local government areas of Benue state paid a courtesy visit on the leader of the party, Chief Ortom today in Makurdi.
In his speech, Chief Samuel Ortom who reflected what played out during the last general elections in 2023 said that he lost his 2023 senatorial bid as a result of his failure to duly consult God.
Saying that he won’t contest any political position in 2027, Ortom hinted that his family and businesses suffered neglect while serving as governor from 2015 to 2023.
“I will go to China and elsewhere for my business. The doors are open for new entry into the PDP but such should know that there is an existing leadership,” he said.
Speaking when members of the G-14 paid him a solidarity visit at his Makurdi residence, the former governor said courts of competent jurisdictions have dismissed cases filed against the ward and local government congresses.
According to him, at a meeting with Senator Abba Moro and Gabriel Suswam, they agreed on free and fair zoning by stakeholders, adding that Moro and him had worked successfully except that of Suswam which is under protest.
In his reaction, the leader of G-14, Dr. Laha Dzever, said the group was formed by elders to prevent the party from collapsing in the state and not by former governor Suswam.
Dzever, who said former Ortom remains the leader of the PDP in Benue State, alleged that some forces within the party were in connivance with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to destabilise the party ahead of 2027.
Dzever pressed further that fOrtom had worked hard to defend the interest of the state and beyond, stressing that to weaken the party, some PDP leaders started filing cases against the conduct of ward and local government congresses in the state.
He assured that under Chief Ortom’s leadership, the party will be repositioned ahead of the 2027 general election.
Speaking on behalf of Benue North East, Chief David Amoh said Benue PDP is one under former governor Ortom, saying his administration was committed to frustrating the takeover of Benue land by invaders.
According to him, what former president Muhamnadu Buhari could not achieve in fighting Ortom is what is continuing in the state through a probe. He, therefore, called on supporters to be steadfast in their support of the PDP in the state.
On his part, Engr, Samuel Utov, who spoke for Benue North West, stated that the people of the Senatorial District will always consult him to resolve differences.
The former Woman leader of PDP in the state, Chief Mrs Veronica Gajir, called on women to remain active and not despair as the party will bounce back in 2027.
A Youth Leader, Samuel Akough, who spoke for the youths, noted that it was through the contribution of former governor Ortom that the 2023 governorship position was zoned to Jechira in which Vandeikya, through Revd Fr Hyacinth Alia, was elected at the polls.
Speaking, a chieftain of the PDP in Kwande, Chief Atsaga Anemba, said Ortom has laid a solid foundation for development during his tenure, saying there is hunger under the present APC administration.
A leader from Jechira, Mr. Shimawua Azaigba, decried the attempt by Senator Gabriel Suswam to shift the position of State Secretary of the PDP from the Federal constituency to the Sankera axis, saying it has caused a crisis in the area and called for intervention.