October 01, (THEWILL) – The leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State and former governor of the state, Chief Samuel Ortom, has said he lost his 2023 senatorial bid because he failed to consult God.
Ortom, who said that he won’t contest any political position in 2027, said 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 his had worked successfully except that of Suswam which is under protest.
Speaking when he led members of the G14 on a solidarity visit to Ortom at his Makurdi residence at Judges Quarters, the leader of the group, 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 held that former governor Ortom had worked hard to defend the interest of the state and beyond. The G14 leader stated that based on the connivance, some PDP stalwarts 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.
