…Restates Support For Tinubu, Wike

Immediate past Governor of Benue State, Chief Samuel Ortom, on Tuesday reiterated his commitment to retaining the presidency in the South and reiterated his unflinching support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former Rivers State Governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesome Wike.

Chief Ortom was reacting to reports credited to a group which calls itself the International Centre for Transparency Nigeria (ICTN), alleging, among other things, that he is involved in an arrangement to support former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for the 2027 presidential election.

However, dismissing the claim, Chief Ortom stated categorically that the allegation is false, baseless and inconsistent with his well-known and long-standing position on equity, fairness and justice in the leadership of Nigeria.

He contended that his position on the presidency of Nigeria has not changed.

The former Benue Governor maintained in a statement by his media aide, Mr Zege Paul Terhide that in the build-up to the 2023 general elections, he and four other Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) who became known as the G-5 Governors, took a principled stand that after eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, justice, fairness and national cohesion demanded that the presidency should rotate to the Southern part of the country.

“Our position was never driven by personal animosity against any individual. It was founded on the conviction that in a diverse federation such as Nigeria, the major sections of the country must have a sense of belonging and that power rotation remains an important instrument for promoting inclusion, stability and national unity.

“I stood firmly by that conviction in 2023 despite the enormous political pressure and consequences that came with it.

“My position has not changed in 2026 and will not suddenly change because some faceless group has manufactured a political story.

“I still believe that the principle which informed the position of the G-5 in 2023 remains valid ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Having supported the rotation of the presidency to the South after eight years of a Northern Presidency, it would amount to a complete contradiction for me to turn around four years later and support the return of the Presidency to the North.

“For the avoidance of doubt, I, Chief Sam,uel Ortom, believe that the presidency should remain in the South in 2027. I therefore have no reason whatsoever to support Alhaji Atiku Abubakar or any other Northern candidate for President in 2027”.

On the allegation that he has opened a strained relationship with the Minister of the FCT, Chief Nyesom Wike, Ortom clarified that he remains firmly aligned with the ex-Rivers State Governor.

“Chief Wike is the National Leader of the PDP, and there has been no development whatsoever to warrant the speculation that Chief Ortom has abandoned the political position he shares with Chief Wike to enter into an arrangement with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

“Those attempting to manufacture such an alliance are therefore pursuing a narrative that collapses under the weight of its own contradictions.”

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