Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, said he is still fasting and praying to hear from God if he should support the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, for the 2023 elections.
Ortom who made this statement during an interview with Arise TV on Wednesday said he has not received direction from God on whom to support.
“I am praying. I have gone into hibernation. I am fasting and praying. So, in the end, if God directs me that I should support Atiku, why should I not do it? After all, he’s my party member,” he said.
The Governor added that he had expected Atiku to have chosen Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, as his running mate instead of Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta state governor.
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Ortom also declared his support for Governor Wike and urged Atiku to talk to the Rivers State governor.
“But I am waiting for him (Atiku) to do more. I expect him to reach out to Wike, who came second in the presidential primary,” the Governor said.
Wike contested and lost the PDP presidential ticket to Atiku.
Atiku polled 371 to beat his closest rival, Governor Nyesom Wike, who polled 237 votes. Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki finished third with 70 votes. A total of 767 votes were recorded during the primary.
PDP National Working Committee (NWC) thereafter nominated three names that included Okowa, Wike and Akwa Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel to Atiku for running mate.
It was gathered that NWC members voted 13-3 to endorse the report of the stakeholders’ panel which had earlier nominated Wike to be Atiku’s running mate. Okowa got only three votes.
Ayu, however, said the final decision to pick Okowa as the party’s vice-presidential candidate was for Atiku to make.
Ortom said he was not in support of dumping Wike for Okowa in choosing Atiku’s running mate.
“The man he denied the popular view of the PDP members — 14 out of 17 — who said Wike should be the vice-presidential candidate. I expect more explanation,” Ortom said.
“I expect him to talk to Wike — whom we are supporting — first. I expect him to reach out to some of us so that together we can work as a party.”
Meanwhile, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku has reacted to the call by the former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, for power to shift to the south ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
Fayose in a post on his Twitter account said it was the turn of the South to produce Nigeria’s next President.
Fayose stated this despite the presidential candidate of the PDP being from the North.
He noted that the North has ruled for eight years under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, hence it is the turn of the South to take over power.
Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe in his reaction said it is normal for members of the main opposition party to be aggrieved.
Ibe, however, stated that PDP has a way of resolving their issues, adding that all differences would be sorted and all will be happy.
The media aide further stated that the bigger challenge for PDP is to kick out the All Progressives Congress in 2023.
Ibe while speaking in a chat with Premium Times said, “It is normal for our people to be aggrieved but the PDP has a way of resolving issues like this and that will be done and we all shall be happy.
“Because the bigger challenge is winning the election, kicking out the APC and stopping them from the many years of impoverishing our people.”
