Ortom Speaks On PDP Throwing 2023 Presidential Ticket Open

Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom has denied media reports that the party has thrown its presidential ticket for the 2023 election open.

It was widely reported on Tuesday evening that the PDP zoning committee had shunned zoning arrangements and thrown the presidential ticket open to all aspirants.

But in an interview on Arise News on Wednesday, Governor Ortom stated that the committee has not jettisoned zoning nor made the ticket available to all presidential hopefuls.

Ortom, Chairman of the zoning committee, however, reiterated his earlier statement that members of the committee only reached a unanimous agreement on zoning the presidential ticket.

The governor stated that a report of the committee will be forwarded to the National Executive Committee of the party.

He said: “I want to clear the insinuation that the zoning committee has thrown open the presidential ticket. I did inform the media yesterday (Tuesday, April 5, 2022) that the committee has adopted a unanimous position to be presented to the national executive committee (NEC) of the party.

“Where did I say that the committee has thrown open the presidential ticket? The committee will present the report to NEC. It is the NEC that has the final authority on the zoning of positions.

“As far as the committee was concerned, there were arguments that the presidential candidate should go to the South. While some said it should go to the Northern part of the country. There were others who were of the opinion that it should be thrown open for the best candidate who will be able to deliver good governance and make Nigerians feel like human beings again.

“As the chairman of the committee, we did not say that. So it is very wrong for anyone to insinuate that we have thrown the presidential ticket open. I am still repeating that, whatever we did, we have submitted our report to NEC. So it is wrong for the media to come out with a position despite the fact that they were not members of the committee.

“I came out to brief the media. So it is wrong completely. I did not say that. And like I said, NEC is the final authority on deciding where this position will be zoned to.

“NEC directed us that in zoning these positions, go and do it right without minding where the president will come from yet. That when the time comes for the presidential, a mandate will be given to the people and NEC will take a decision. That is what we have done.”