Less than 72 hours the governor of Benue State, Dr. Samuel Ortom denounced his membership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the governor yesterday recounted, as he said he was still with the party.
Ortom, who on Monday said he had been issued a red card in APC, therefore would no longer stay in the party, met with some members of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State on Wednesday.
But the national leadership of APC had however reacted immediately on Ortom statement of leaving the party as the APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole said that the party had no red card and had not issued any to the governor.
The party, therefore, had invited the governor and the former governor of Benue State, Senator George Akume for a peace talk on Tuesday.
Ortom, who was at the party secretariat yesterday said he was still with APC, just as the APC national chairman said it would have been wrong for Ortom to go back to PDP, as only people without honor that go back to their vomit.
He said,”The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that is hovering round must know that it is only people without honor will vomit in the morning and convert it to launch in the afternoon.
“People like Ortom can’t leave PDP three and half years ago with his eyes open and two-three years latter because of some tension, is thinking of returning.
“He is a man of honour and he knows that once you move one step forward, you will want to take the second step to consolidate the first step, that’s the way to go.
“Be assured that the PDP can go and do whatever they want to do, but it won’t change the situation the minds of those who are convinced in building the future.
“it will not be without contestation, it will be based on the understanding that we can have contestations, but we have the qualities required to resolve issues in a win-win manner.
Ortom, speaking with journalists after an hour meeting with the members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) said, “Am here in APC,am a member of APC, am still flying the flag of APC, I only said I was given red card but I have been corrected by the national secretariat.”
Asked to explained what transpired at the meeting with the leadership of the party, he said, “It was the Benue APC that gave me a red card not the national APC and I took that it was enough to make myself available out of the pitch, but the leadership of the party told me that the decision of the party leadership at the national level is superior to that of any individual or group of people and I think that is good enough.
“They have spoken to him, they have spoken to me and the state stakeholders are going to be spoken to and that’s where we belong.
“We have not concluded the matter, it’s on the process. I always stood for peace,and I always want peace to prevail, that’s what I call for.
“I appreciate the intervention of the party’s leadership and I hope that we will be able to resolve the matter of differences.”
It would be recalled that the former governor of Benue State, Senator Georg Akume had appeared before the APC NWC members on Tuesday.
Akume, who did not speak to the media on the outcome of their meeting only said that he was to return the following day.
Responding to the allegation of red card from Ortom, Oshiomhole said the APC doesn’t have red cards in its cupboard and can’t give what it doesn’t have.
He noted that there could, however, be legitimate legal issues and disagreements in some state’s chapters of the party.
This, he said, were evidence of the fact that the APC was a free democratic party, adding that its was the responsibility of the party leadership to help aggrieved members to find a common ground.
He added that the issues in the Benue chapter of the party were not too fundamental that it could not be resolved.
He expressed confidence that the issues between Sen. George Akume also a former Governor of Benue and Gov. Ortom would be resolved by the party’s national leadership.
He said, “Sen. Akume is a very respected leader of the party, a former governor and a current Senator. He will recognize the need for peace and we have what it takes to make peace.
“In Benue, we are going for a win, win solution. Gov. Ortom is not going anywhere, he is a very prominent member of our party, and we appreciate his leadership in Benue.
“We will do everything possible to help those who have issues to have those issues resolved.
“And in Benue, those will be deployed and am sure that Gov. Ortom and Senator Akume will be happy, much more importantly the great people of Benue will be happy not just our party members because they want to consolidate those works not to return to a broken vehicle.”
The APC national chairman added that the party leadership would do everything possible to address crisis within its states chapters to ensure that its committed members remain in its fold.
.new telegraph
