As the clock ticks towards the end of his second term in office, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State says God had yet to give him a signal on the next elective position to contest in the 2023 general election.
He is therefore waiting on God to direct him on whether to contest for the presidency, the Senate or return to his farm as he had always got the backing of God in all elective positions he had been privileged to hold.
“For me, I haven’t confirmed from God which position to contest. If God says go to the farm that is what I will do. Whatever He asks me to do is what I will do”, Ortom said in response to a question while interacting with newsmen at the weekend.
However, ahead of the 2023 gubernatorial election in the state, the governor has requested members of his cabinet interested in joining the fray to resign their appointments not later than October 1, 2021.
He has also unveiled five governorship aspirants under the platform of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, in the state, one of whom may emerge as his successor after the polls.
Leading the pack of his likely successors is Ortom’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Terver Akase, who will however slug it out with four other gubernatorial aspirants for the party’s ticket.
The governor presented the five aspirants to party members at the J.S Tarka Institute of Political Studies, Gboko, Benue State during the defection ceremony of Mr. Joseph Kaaba, Francis Kwaghgba and their teeming supporters from the All Progressives Congress, APC into the PDP at the weekend.
While noting that he had no preferred candidate yet, the governor said he had always asked all those who came to inform him about their political ambition ahead of 2023 if they had heard God tell them clearly to run for the position they want to contest.
Ortom however directed the State PDP Chairman, Sir John Ngbede, to immediately convene a meeting with all the governorship aspirants and advise the aspirants to work as a team considering the fact that only one person will emerge governor in 2023.
He promised to work closely with the State Working Committee of the PDP and other stakeholders to produce a consensus governorship candidate but where it failed, the decision would be made at the party primary election which he emphasized would be free and fair.
The governor expressed the optimism that before the party goes into the primaries, it will be able to reach a consensus on who goes for what position. He assured that
“If we cannot reach conscensus, we will go into the primaries and whoever emerges will be supported”.
Those presented by Ortom to the mammoth crowd as PDP governorship aspirants in the state included the Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Titus Uba, Dr Paul Ubwa, Engineer Dondu Ahire, Dr Robert Orya, Mr. Terver Akase and Professor Dennis Ityavyar.
He assured those defecting from the APC to PDP of equal opportunities and internal democracy, expressing optimism that the party would regain power at the national level in 2023.
In his remarks, the state Chairman of PDP, Sir John Ngbede described the APC as a sinking ship, urging the people of Benue to join the PDP which has a listening leader in the state and internal democracy, while Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Titus Uba pledged the support of the legislature to the Ortom-led administration.
Chairman of the defection ceremony, Chief Terngu Tsegba, Prince Yandev Amaabai and the Executive Chairman of Gboko Local Government Council, Hon James Kachina, acknowledged the people oriented projects executed in Gboko by the Ortom administration, saying the people had justification to remain in PDP.
Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Mr Joseph Kaaba said they are happy with the good works of the Governor and decided to join forces with him and other PDP faithful to provide dividends of democracy to the people.
Wife of the governor, Dr. Eunice Ortom also attended the defection ceremony.
