By Amos Aar
FORMER Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, has clarified that the G-14, a body of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) elders from the 14 Tiv-speaking local government areas of the state remains intact.
This announcement contradicts claims by his predecessor as governor, Senator Gabriel Suswam, that the G-14 had been disbanded and replaced.
Ortom, while receiving G-14 leaders at his Makurdi residence on Tuesday emphasised that the national PDP still recognises the G-14 and assured the group of his commitment to working together and encouraged them to advocate for the party’s ideals.
Vanguard newspaper had reported that Senator Suswam, while addressing selected PDP stakeholders last Thursday in Makurdi, alleged that the “G-14 stood disbanded” and had been replaced by another body.
He further stated that Benue PDP under his leadership will be conducting state congress on Thursday, October 3, 2024.
“I am committed to working with G-14 and I will continue to encourage you to work for the party. G-14 is not disbanded and no one has the right to dissolve it not even me. Continue to advocate for the PDP and the ideals of our founding fathers. Let us be the conscience of the party.
“By Thursday this week, State congresses will hold as approved by the National secretariat and we will elect State officials. I appreciate the confidence reposed in me to lead the party. We should uphold peace but whoever wants to cause trouble we will resist such”, Ortom said.
The ex-governor also announced that that he has no intention to contest any election in 2027. “m not going to contest any election in 2027, I will rather push the younger ones to climb and also take good care of my family”, he said.
In his remarks, G-14 leader, Dr Laha Dzever, corroborated Ortom by debunking the insinuation that G-14 was formed by an individual. He disclosed that they formed the G-14 after Ortom became governor of Benue State in 2015 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and in their bid to rescue the party, the group was formed from elders from the 14 Tiv-speaking local governments.
Dzever restated the age-long tradition of the party which makes a governor the leader of the party in the state and where the governor is not a member of the party, the immediate past governor is the leader.
On his part, elder Samuel Utoo wondered why someone would claim to have disbanded G-14 when group is not the creation of the one who purportedly disbanded the it. He stressed that even Chief Ortom who is the leader of the party in the state by virtue of his status as the immediate past governor cannot disband G-14.
