By JOHNSON BABAJIDE, Makurdi

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State on Saturday confirmed that he was in consultation with the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2023 elections.

Ortom said that he had told the opposition party to allow him to make a consultation with his close allies.

Speaking at the State Congress of the PDP held at Aper Aku Stadium, Makurdi, Ortom said that after consultations with some of his close allies and the vote of confidence on him by PDP, he would communicate his decision not to leave the PDP to his “friends” in the APC.

According to him, “it is true that the APC has invited me to come back to APC and they are propagating that (he is leaving the PDP) and this is far from the truth.

“I told them I’ll come and ask you (the state congress); Do you want me to decamp to APC?”

When the question was received with a resounding “No, no, no,” the governor said: “So, I am comfortable with my people (PDP) and I’ll remain in PDP and I will communicate this to my friends in the APC and I will tell them that I consulted with you and you asked me not to leave.”

Governor Ortom said that he was humbled by the vote of confidence passed on him by the congress, adding that, “I’ll not fail you or let you down and we shall be victorious.”

Governor Ortom also assured the party that by the grace of God, the party will sustain the gains of 2019, through to 2023, adding that the successes recorded were made possible by the support of party members.

Earlier, Ambassador Tukur Mani, Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the state congress noted that the election into the Benue State Executive Committee was suspended due to the lockdown, hence, it was deferred to August

While he noted that the election provided the opportunity to galvanise and reorganise the party in the state, he appreciated Governor Ortom for facilitating a peaceful exercise.

He observed that the election was a family affair, and therefore, it was a no victor, no vanquished situation. (Nigerian Tribune)

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