- Ortom said the PDP’s decision to zone presidency to the North in 2023 violated equity and fairness principles.
- He insisted the presidency should have gone to the South after Buhari’s eight years in office.
A former governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has explained why he worked against the presidential ambition of the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Atiku Abubakar, during the 2023 general election.
Ortom said he took the decision even though it put his senatorial ambition at risk.
He made the disclosure on Thursday while speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show programme.
The former governor said he believed that for the sake of equity, fairness and justice, power ought to have rotated to the South.
He said, “And when members of the PDP overwhelmingly accepted that the presidency should be in the North, we say no, it was wrong, because everyone knows here for equity, fairness and justice, we should allow presidency in the North for eight years, and the South should go for eight years.”
Ortom said his decision to oppose Atiku was not hidden, stressing that he stood by his convictions regardless of the political cost.
“I’ve already made my position known. I don’t want to be a hypocrite. I don’t want to pretend. And I made it very clear that was why I worked against the PDP in 2023 election.
“And I did say that even if I lose my senatorial election, after some eight years as governor, it doesn’t matter. But let it be known that there are people who believe in justice, equity and fairness,” he said.