stands with Wike, dismisses Atiku link
By Peter Duru, Makurdi
The immediate past Governor of Benue State, Chief Samuel Ortom, has dismissed reports linking him with an alleged arrangement to support former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for the 2027 presidential election, describing the claim as false and baseless.
Ortom, through his Media Assistant, Paul Zege, said his position on the rotation of the presidency to the southern part of Nigeria remained unchanged, insisting that he would not support a return of the presidency to the North in 2027.
Zege, in a statement said the report attributed to a group known as the International Centre for Transparency Nigeria (ICTN) was inconsistent with Ortom’s “well-known and long-standing position on equity, fairness and justice in the leadership of Nigeria.”
According to him, Ortom and four other governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who constituted the G-5 during the build-up to the 2023 elections, had taken a principled position that power should shift to the South after eight years of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
He said the G-5 position was not motivated by personal animosity against any politician but by the need to promote equity, inclusion, stability and national cohesion in the country.
“Chief Ortom stood firmly by that conviction in 2023 despite the enormous political pressure and consequences that came with it. His position has not changed in 2026 and will not suddenly change because some faceless group has manufactured a political story,” the statement said
The former governor, according to his aide, still believes that the principle which informed the G-5 position in 2023 remains valid ahead of the 2027 presidential election. “Having supported the rotation of the presidency to the South after eight years of a northern presidency, it would amount to a complete contradiction for him to turn around four years later and support the return of the presidency to the North,” he said
The statement therefore declared unequivocally that Ortom believed the presidency should remain in the South in 2027, adding that he had “no reason whatsoever to support Alhaji Atiku Abubakar or any other northern candidate for President in 2027.”
It recalled that Ortom had publicly declared support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election during an engagement in Port Harcourt in 2024, saying he had not changed his position.
“His conviction is that the President is the right man for the job, as he has started well and should be supported to complete his major reforms in the country’s economy and overall development,” the statement added.
Ortom also reaffirmed his political alignment with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, with whom he and other G-5 governors worked together in 2023 in pursuit of what they described as equity and justice.
The former governor said there had been no development to suggest that he had abandoned his position or entered into any political arrangement with Atiku, describing such speculation as a narrative that “collapses under the weight of its own contradictions.”
On meetings between Ortom and other prominent Benue politicians, Zege explained that such engagements were consultations aimed at building a broad strategic alliance of Benue stakeholders for the interest of the state.
He also said Ortom recognised Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, as the leader of politics in Benue State, stressing that his leadership transcended political party lines.
“Chief Ortom and other like-minded prominent figures in the state are therefore committed to supporting him to succeed in his national assignment,” the statement said, noting that Akume was the first Benue indigene to occupy the influential position of SGF.
The former governor also reaffirmed his support for the PDP governorship candidate in Benue state, Chief Michael Aondoakaa, SAN, describing him as the duly nominated candidate of the party for the 2027 election.
According to Ortom, Aondoakaa possesses the “experience, competence, character and capacity” required to provide purposeful leadership for Benue, adding that he could prudently deploy the state’s increased revenues to tackle development challenges and stimulate economic growth.
Ortom consequently urged the public to disregard the alleged ICTN report, describing it as an attempt by “desperate political elements” to manufacture divisions and create political relationships where none exist.
He maintained that his commitment to equity, justice and fairness remained unwavering, insisting that “no amount of political fabrication will rewrite” the historic position taken by the G-5 governors.
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