By Amos Aar
Just a day before the presidential and federal legislative elections in Nigeria, Benue State Governor and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate for Benue North-West, Samuel Ortom, has reiterated his support for the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, instead of his party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Governor Ortom had on Thursday explained to a cross section of the Muslim community in Benue State who visited him at Government House, Makurdi, on his invitation, that Atiku Abubakar as a titleholder (Zege Mule u Tiv) in Tivland has refused to condemn Fulani killings in Benue State and he recently openly profiled him at Arewa House in Kaduna state that “he had a big quarrel” with him.
Ortom said although he was among the G-5 governors who had insisted that presidential power must rotate to the South after eight years in the North, the straw that broke the carmel’s back was his profiling by Atiku because the issue of power shift would have been resolved if the presidential candidate and the PDP national leadership were ready for reconciliation
“Going to profile me was my major problem”, Ortom stressed, while also stating that Atiku found him inconsequential and waved him that he could do without him.
“You have not won election and you are saying that you don’t care about me, how will I care about you? So, I said that people should vote in this election according to their conscience. So, me, I’m supporting Peter Obi and Datti Baba,” Ortom bared his mind.
He also explained to the Muslim community that the recent military airstrike at Akwanaja, Doma local government area of Nasarawa State which claimed some herders’ lives did not emanate from him as it was mischievously attributed to him by deposed Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
According to Ortom, the Governor of Nasarawa State, Engr Abdulllahi Sule, told him that he (Sule) had alerted the defense headquarters, Abuja that terrorists had regrouped from Borno and the North-Eastern Nigeria and camped in Nasarawa to launch attacks on communities hence the military operation.
Ortom said it became imperative for him to explain things to members of the Muslim community in Benue State in order to debunk the allegations leveled against him and so that they wouldn’t feel he had undermined them.
“So, I said I needed to explain these things to you. I respect every religion and there has been no religious crisis since I became Governor in 2015,” Ortom said.
Ortom asked the Muslim community to vote him for Senate and all other PDP candidates with the exception of Atiku Abubakar.
He pointed out that Peter Obi and his running mate, Ahmed Yusuf Datti are the best choice for Nigeria among the presidential candidates because they are young, capable, knowledgeable, well-educated and technocrats “and they have contributed immensely to the growth of our country”.
He added that the track records of Obi as former Anambra State Governor and his running mate, Yusuf Datti, as former House of Representatives member and Senator have spoken for them.
“Datti has distinguished himself, he has built two universities in Nigeria”, Ortom justified his Support for Obi/Datti.
Chief Imam of Gboko, Yahaya Dangiwa Suleiman, who responded on behalf of the Muslim Umar, thanked Ortom for his explanation and said that whoever wanted to follow the truth should follow the truth and those who wanted to go astray should go.
Suleiman said God would protect Ortom and nobody would harm him because he believes in God and the truth. He assured Ortom that they would convey his message to the entire Muslim community in the state accordingly and they will vote all PDP candidates.
Members of the Muslim community who interfaced with Governor Ortom were mostly the Imams, Ulamas and Sarkin Hausawas, under the leadership of Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) led by Alhaji Garba Baba.
