The embattled Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has officially decamped from the All Progressives Congress. He has defected to the opposition party PDP.
The spokesperson to the Governor Terver Akase confirmed the development to newsmen. The Governor also made it known during a meeting with chairmen and councilors of local government councils in the State at the Government house.
The former Minister of Industry Trade and Investment under the Jonathan administration has been in a running battle with APC chieftains in the state chief among whom is former State Governor, George Akume. He had accused the APC leadership in the state and particularly, Akume of giving him a Red Card from the APC, a development which attracted the attention and intervention of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Com. Adams Oshiomole. It however seems all effort to resolve the crisis has proven abortive.
In a an apparent show of support to the Governor, on Wednesday, a coalition of Benue youths barricaded the state house entrance thus preventing the Governor’s convoy from leaving the state house in order to attend a meeting with the APC chieftains in Abuja and President Muhammadu Buhari. The youths carried placards with inscriptions such as “APC is Miyetti party”, “Ortom don’t go back to the APC” among others.
This development is coming a day after some notable members of the National Assembly decamped from the APC to other opposition parties with the Peoples Democratic Party PDP being the major beneficiary.
