Sekinat Osundiji
Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has said he has no regrets over his decision to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election.
Ortom made the declaration during an interview on ARISE News, where he discussed the political situation in Benue State, the 2027 elections and his relationship with the state’s incumbent governor, Hyacinth Alia.
He said his support for Tinubu was a deliberate political decision after Nigerians gave the former Lagos State governor the mandate in 2023.
The former governor recalled that he supported Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election but changed his position after Tinubu emerged as president.
According to him, he publicly declared his support for Tinubu in 2027 when his former G5 colleague, Nyesom Wike, was appointed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
Ortom said he remains aligned with Wike and is working with his supporters in Benue to secure Tinubu’s re-election.
“I made a statement, and I have no regret making that statement, that 2027 some of us will support Tinubu to win,” Ortom said.
He added: “In 2023, I supported Obi. When Nigerians spoke and President Tinubu was president, I said, ‘If you can’t beat them, you join them.’ I want to assure you that I remain committed with our national leader, Nyesom Wike, and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, that I, Samuel Ortom, and my people here in Benue State, as far as we are concerned, we’re working for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
On the 2027 Benue governorship election, Ortom criticised Governor Alia’s administration, accusing it of failing to uphold the rule of law and of targeting political opponents. He also alleged that local government autonomy was not being implemented in the state and claimed that there had been no stakeholders’ meeting across party lines since Alia assumed office.
Ortom further alleged that the governor had failed to return 23 government vehicles despite a court judgment directing their return. He said the vehicles had been legitimately allocated to him and other former government officials at the end of their tenure.
The former governor also disclosed that he had attempted to maintain a relationship with Alia after the 2023 election, saying he offered to provide advice and assist the new administration. However, he claimed that the governor had not taken his calls or provided an opportunity for further engagement.
Ortom said the 2027 election would provide an opportunity for Benue voters to make their judgment on the Alia administration. He maintained that he would support his preferred candidates for the Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly, while also backing Tinubu for president.
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