BY DAMOLA EMMANUEL
First, he severally denied any plan to leave the All Progressives Congress, APC. Then, a few weeks ago, the tune began to change, with hints of possible defection.
On Wednesday, Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, finally tore the veil and announced that he had crossed to the main opposition party, PDP.
Also on Wednesday, the flag of the ruling party in front of the Government House, Makurdi, went down, putting the party swap beyond all doubts.
Ortom made the announcement while meeting with local government chairmen and councillors at the Government House, Makurdi., saying that the chairmen had told him that his stay in APC had expired.
Channels Television reported that the declaration came hours after protesting youths stopped him from travelling to Abuja, the nation’s capital, to attend a reconciliation meeting convened by the party’s headquarters.
The placard-carrying youths formed a human blockade, and rebuffed the governor’s entreaties to allow him to go and attend the meeting. Some of the youth got unruly at some point, trying to yank off the APC flag off the Governor’s official SUV.
The Governor returned to the Government House after speaking briefly to the youths who hailed and followed his convoy inside.
Back in the Government House, Ortom told the council chairmen and councillors, as well as the cheering audience that “I have formally resigned from the All Progressives Congress.”
“With your support and a blank cheque that I have been given to nominate a party, we can now fight justice, equity, and fairness for the people of Benue state,” he continued.
“Let me formally announce to you that I’m now going to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”
There were strong indications about where the Governor was heading for his political future on Tuesday as the Benue State House of Assembly impeached its Speaker, Terkimbi Tyanger.
The same day, scores of APC federal lawmakers withdrew their allegiance to the ruling party and crossed to the opposition PDP. Some of the defecting lawmakers were from Benue.
Ortom, who served as Minister of State of Industry, Trade and Investment under the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan Administration, was one of the three APC governors suspected to be mapping their way out of the party. The other two are: Abdulfattah Ahmed of Kwara and Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto.
Adams Oshiomhole, APC National Chairman, described Ortom’s defection as “surprising”.