PDP Meted Injustice To Wike, I Stand With Him, Ortom 

By Adadainfo

Gov Samuel Ortom of Benue State has dismissed insinuation in some media reports that he has broken away from the camp of his Rivers State counterpart, Nyesom Wike.

Speaking to journalists Tuesday shortly after returning from a London trip, he said he stood with Wike and frowned at the injustices meted to him.

Thisday had in a headline of Tuesday reported that “Ortom Breaks With Wike, Says He Is Not Supporting Ayu’s Removal.” The report deconstructs an article by Ortom’s chief press secretary, Nathaniel Ikyur, where he explained that Ortom’s hands were not in calls for the resignation of Iyorcha Ayu as the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Ortom said the news was misleading to further fuel the impasse within the PDP and sow a seed of discord  between him and his Rivers State counterpart and other members of the group.

According to him, “There is no breaking away from our group. I still sympathize with Wike for the injustices meted to him and our group.

“The Thisday 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. The party leadership has not been fair to Governor 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. So I still sympathize 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.”

Governor Ortom said with the interface he had with the Board of Trustees of the party, he ‘hopes that issues will be properly addressed’.

Quoting him, “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 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.”

He said despite the crisis rocking the party at the national level, Benue State does not have any problem, stressing that “from bottom to top, we are good to go, as far as our party is concerned. I am working for our candidates.”

On the outcome of the caucus meeting, the governor said after due consultations, a Benue North-West senatorial campaign team for the Senate would be constituted, adding that it would be integrated into the main campaign council of PDP in Benue State.