The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday said the defection of the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, from the ruling party to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was “somewhat surprising.”
Ortom, who defected on Wednesday, made the announcement at a meeting with elected local government chairmen and councillors at the Government House Makurdi.
His defection comes barely a day after the Benue State House of Assembly impeached its APC Speaker, Terkimbi Tyanger.
Also, on Tuesday, scores of APC federal lawmakers dumped the party, with a substantial majority moving to the PDP. Some of the lawmakers are from Benue.
Mr Ortom has been hinting at his imminent departure from the ruling party for the past four weeks. He was amongst at least three APC governors rumored to be on their way out of the party, with the other two being Abdulfattah Ahmed of Kwara and Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, on Wednesday, APC recalled “efforts made by the National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to address some of the grievances raised by the Benue State Governor pertaining to the local politics in Benue State.”
The party said the “governor had left the meeting saying he was satisfied with the assurances given by party leaders. We are still working on giving effect to the resolutions from the meeting. Therefore, we are somewhat surprised by Governor Ortom’s decision.”
“The party reiterates its earlier position that it respects the rights of every citizen to chose their political affiliation but expresses hope that those who have left the party will rescind their decisions.
“Even with this development, we don’t think it is too late for reconciliation. We have to continue to talk. As long as people keep their minds open and have the courage to put the real issues on the table, reconciliation is still possible.
“We once again call on members across the country to remain calm as the party leadership continues to work hard to position the party strongly for the next general elections.”
