PDP Crisis: Ortom Denied Abandoning Wike
BENUE State Governor, Mr. Samuel Ortom, has denied disagreeing with his Rivers State counterpart, Mr. Nyesom Wike, over their call for resignation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.
Speaking with journalists on Tuesday shortly after presiding over PDP’s Benue North-West senatorial district caucus meeting held at the Benue Peoples House, Makurdi, Ortom insisted that he is still with Wike on the injustices meted out to him.
He stated: “The news report is misleading. I just came back from London this morning with Wike and I still maintain my stand on what I said. I have not moved away from there. I still sympathise with Wike for the injustices meted out on him and our group.”
“The party leadership has not been fair to Wike based on the activities that took place during the convention and after the convention. They have not been able to adequately deploy the internal conflict resolution mechanism of the party to resolve those issues.
“I still sympathise and stand with Wike and let the leadership of the party at the national level do the right thing. It is not too late to do so.
“Politics is about interest and where your interest is not protected, you have the right to protest. We remain committed to the PDP, but still want the right thing to be done, so that everybody will be carried along.”
Noting that it is not late to resolve the issues, Ortom further pointed out that with the interface he had with the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, he hopes that issues will be properly addressed, adding: “The issue in contention about the national chairman, the BoT was here some few days ago and we deliberated on the matter. They sought to know what my feeling was about the crisis and I told them the truth as far as I am concerned.
“I gave them my recommendations and I hope that justice will be done, so that our party will gain its position to take over power in 2023.”
The governor said despite the crisis rocking the party at the national level, Benue State does not have any problem, noting: “From bottom to top, we are good to go, as far as our party is concerned. I am working for our candidates.”
Ortom stressed that he cannot work against PDP and will support every candidate, saying: “That does not mean I am not aggrieved; Wike is aggrieved and I am aggrieved too.”
