ABUJA — FORMER Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, yesterday, explained why he and other members of the G5 Governors’ Forum opposed the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the 2023 elections.
But in a push back, the former Vice President, described them as frustrated opportunists, who are searching for relevance.
Also, the PDP similarly, accused Ortom of acting out of personal interest rather than genuine concern for fairness and equity in the 2023 elections.
This came as a former Presidential aspirant, Mr Dele Momodu formally resigned from the PDP, citing what he described as the hijacking of the party by antidemocratic forces.
Ortom, a leading member of the G5 group of PDP governors, said the party’s failure to respect equity, fairness, and justice was the reason they chose to stand against it.
Speaking on Arise TV, yesterday, Ortom said the G5 had insisted that the presidency should shift to the South after eight years of Northern rule under President Muhammadu Buhari, but the PDP’s decision to field Atiku, also a Northerner, went against that principle.
“I acted as I did because we had expected the PDP to uphold equity, fairness, and justice, values I hold dear.
“When the majority of PDP members supported a Northern candidate, we deemed it unjust. We’ve always stood for equity, fairness, and justice, and we felt the presidency should alternate between the North and South for eight years each,” he said.
As chairman of the PDP’s zoning committee, Ortom noted that although the committee recommended an open contest, he personally pushed for a Southern candidate.
He stressed that the party’s National Executive Committee, NEC, had the final say, which led to Atiku’s candidacy.
“I presented the committee’s report as it was, and the NEC made the final call. I couldn’t override the collective decision,” Ortom explained.