Why I Helped Settle Rift Between Ortom, Bala Mohammed – Wike

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has revealed why he helped settle the rift between Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, and his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Mohammed.

Wike and Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State met with the two governors on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, and initiated reconciliation efforts.

A truce was finally reached after the meeting at Wike’s private residence in Port Harcourt with Ortom and Mohammed embracing each other.

In a statement on Wednesday by his media aide, Kelvin Ebiri, Wike said he helped settle the rift between the two PDP governors so that the inefficiency of the Muhammadu Buhari-led government does not affect the PDP-controlled states.

The Rivers governor thanked his Bauchi and Benue counterparts for amicably resolving their dispute and putting the security of their states ahead of their opinions.

“We give God the glory today that those differences have been sorted out. We are members of one political party. Like what the Governor of Bauchi and Governor of Benue said, we don’t want the inefficiency, we don’t want the incapacity of the Federal Government in handling the issue of insecurity in the country to rub on us.

“Everybody knows that the Federal Government has failed in providing security for this country. And of course you will not blame them. They (Ortom and Mohammed) are under pressure from their various states. It is not as if they have any personal issue.”

Wike said the APC was rejoicing that there was a disagreement between the Governors of Benue and Bauchi States, but noted that the opposition party would be disillusioned now that the disagreement has been resolved.

“They will not be happy today that two of them have now made up to work together,” he said.

Naija News reports that the two governors had engaged in a war of words over the herdsmen crisis rocking most parts of the country.

This started when Governor Rotimi Akeredolu ordered Fulani herdsmen in Ondo state forest reserves to vacate withn two weeks.

Not happy with the directive, Mohammed had defended Fulani herdsmen wielding AK-47 rifles, saying they do so for self-protection.

He also stated that herdsmen don’t need the permission of any governor to occupy any forest in Nigeria.

Reacting, Ortom had lambasted the Bauchi governor for allegedly supporting criminality while labeling him a “terrorist governor”.