We Can’t Wait For Ortom To Leave In 2023 – Presidency

In the statement, the Presidency accused Ortom of being unprincipled having changed political party five times.

The Presidency has expressed optimism that Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State will be leaving office in 2023, following the Governor’s criticism on President Muhammadu Buhari’s handling of insecurity in Nigeria.

Ortom on Tuesday, August 24, 2021, said that Buhari is the worst President when it comes to security. Adding that the President was making him to think about what they said about him that he wanted to Fulanize Nigeria.

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“Mr President is pushing me to think that what they say about him, that he has a hidden agenda in this country is true,” Ortom said, adding: “because it is very clear that he wants to fulanise but he is not the first Fulani president.

“Shagari was a Fulani President, Yar’ Adua was a Fulani President and they were the best in the history. But President Buhari is the worst President when it comes to issues of security and keeping his promises,” Ortom quoted.

While reacting to the comment on Wednesday, August 25, 2021, the Presidency accused Governor Ortom of using sectarian language similar to that of the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 while reacting to the security challenges in his state.

The reaction of the Presidency was contained in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, titled ‘Statement concerning Samuel Ortom, the governor of Benue State.’

In the statement, the Presidency accused Ortom of being unprincipled having changed political party five times.

It read, “Governor Samuel Ortom has few political principles. We can see this from the fact that he has changed political parties five times during his undistinguished career.

“Every time he feels the wind may be blowing in a certain direction, he follows it.

“Unfortunately, for the good citizens of Benue State, the most dangerous direction he blows in today is that of sectarianism and ethnicity.

“In an attempt to boost his sinking political fortunes, Ortom takes the cheapest and lowest route possible by playing on ethnic themes – and in doing so knowingly causes deaths of innocent Nigerians by inciting farmers against herders, and Christians against Muslims.”

The Presidency further accused the governor of spreading hate in a way reminiscent of the Hutu tribe during the Rwandan Genocide.

“Specifically, Ortom stirs up hatred by targeting one single ethnic group in Nigeria–using language reminiscent of the Rwandan genocide.

“As was the case in Rwanda where the then Hutu leaders of the country incited their countrymen against each other, claiming there was a ‘secret Tutsi agenda’ over the Hutu, Ortom claims there is a ‘secret Fulanization agenda’ over other ethnic groups in his state and Nigeria.

“This is a copy of the language of Hutu Power-which falsely, and intentionally, accused the Rwandan Tutsi of plans to dominate the country.

“This wicked talk is aimed at giving cover to his so-called “policy” on the Ranches Establishment Law – which in reality is purely an act of denial of the law – intended to withhold rights and freedoms from one ethnic group alone, whilst inciting race hatred against them amongst all others.

“These are not the actions of a man who should be trusted with running public services or holding public office.

“For the governor of a major state in Nigeria to be politically driven by ethnic hatred is a stain on our country.

“The good, and fair-minded people of Benue State deserve more than this, and we look forward to the next elections when they have an opportunity to restore its greatness.”

Ortom who was elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015, decamped to the main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2018, stating that the APC was no longer the platform that has the interest of the people of his state, Benue, at heart.

Bada Amoo