“Ortom Is Trapped” – PDP Senator Reveals Why Benue Governor Didn’t Attend Atiku’s Campaign Launch

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Senator representing Benue North Senatorial District, Emmanuel Orker-Jev has explained why Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom could not attend the official flag-off by the party for Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign.

Speaking during a TV interview, Orker-Jev said Ortom is trapped between a rock and a hard place as touching the crisis rocking the PDP.

He explained that the Benue Governor doesn’t want to go against the collective decision of the Governors and at the same time, can’t openly antagonize the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu who is from the same state as him.

The Senator said this on Channels TV’s Politics Today while speaking about the failure of Ortom and some other loyalists of Governor Nyesom Wike to attend the PDP presidential campaign flag-off in Akwa Ibom on Monday.

He said, “My Governor, Ortom is trapped between a rock and a hard place in this matter. You know the governors are very powerful especially in the opposition party when it comes to running the party, because they fund the party. And because of the manoeuvres of the governors, the president of national excos is in place. And indeed because of that the national chairman was there today.

“At one hand Ortom will not want to disappoint his brother governors who manoeuvred and we arrived at where we are today, supporting this excos. The national chairman comes from Benue; so Ortom cannot be seen to come out clearly and work against him. That is why I said he is trapped between a rock and a hard place.”

The Demand

Naija News recalls Wike, Ortom and some other chieftains of the party are demanding the removal of the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, which according to them will bring balance in the appointment of party leadership.

They claimed Ayu and Atiku being from the same region doesn’t give a true picture of justice and fairness in representation for the south as the north has taken over all major positions.

Ayu has however so far remained adamant, insisting that he won’t step down from the position.