Former Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has revealed why he chose to work against the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, during the 2023 general election.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Thursday, Ortom said his decision was guided by a strong belief in equity, fairness, and justice, even though it came at the risk of his own senatorial ambition, which he ultimately lost.
According to Ortom, it was unjust for the PDP to insist on zoning the presidency to the North after President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, had completed two terms in office.
“And when members of the PDP overwhelmingly accepted that the presidency should be in the North, we said no, it was wrong,” Ortom stated. “Everyone knows that for equity, fairness and justice, we should allow the presidency in the North for eight years, and then the South should go for eight years.”
Ortom emphasized that he had publicly declared his stance before the 2023 elections and had no regrets about his actions.
“I’ve already made my position known. I don’t want to be a hypocrite. I don’t want to pretend,” he said. “That was why I worked against the PDP in the 2023 election. And I did say that even if I lose my senatorial election after eight years as governor, it doesn’t matter. Let it be known that there are people who believe in justice, equity, and fairness.”
The former governor was among the G5 Governors, a group of PDP leaders who openly opposed Atiku’s candidacy over the party’s failure to zone the presidency to the South, a decision that fueled internal crisis within the PDP in the lead-up to the 2023 general elections.
