Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has backed the endorsement of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) by former president, Olusegun Obasanjo.
Ortom Throws Weight Behind Obasanjo’s Endorsement Of Ortom
Obasanjo had on Sunday, January 1st, endorsed Obi as his preferred candidate for the 2023 elections.
In the 2023 New Year message signed by the former president and made available to newsmen by his aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo described Obi as his mentee and said the former Anambra State governor had an edge in the 2023 elections.
Ortom is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and one of the five aggrieved governors of the party known as the G5 or Integrity Group.
Others are Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia).
The PDP governors have refused to work or campaign for the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, citing opposition to the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu coming from the same region as the standard bearer.
Ortom’s Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Terver Akase, in a statement on Tuesday, said the governor “strongly recommends Peter Obi to Nigerians as the man who has the capacity to effectively tackle the economic, security and other challenges facing the country.”
Akase noted that the governor is convinced that Obi “possesses the qualities of a leader who will be a true President of this country by guaranteeing justice, equity, and fairness for all Nigerians.”
According to Ortom, the President that Nigeria needs at this “challenging time” in its history is one who understands the urgent need to unite the people and speedily initiate policies and actions to redirect the ship of the nation on the path of growth and development.
According to him, Peter Obi has all those qualities.
Read the full statement below:
GOV ORTOM BACKS OBASANJO’S ENDORSEMENT OF PETER OBI
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom commends former President, Olusegun Obasanjo over his endorsement of Peter Obi as the right candidate to win this year’s presidential election and provide the leadership that Nigerians desire.
The Governor states that if he were not a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, he would have personally led Obi’s campaign across the country.
Governor Ortom strongly recommends Peter Obi to Nigerians as the man who has the capacity to effectively tackle the economic, security, and other challenges facing the country.
He is convinced that Obi possesses the qualities of a leader who will be a true President of this country by guaranteeing justice, equity, and fairness for all Nigerians.
The Governor stresses that for some years, the country has been tottering on the verge of collapse, owing to leadership failure and its attendant consequences of poverty, heightened insecurity with banditry, kidnappings, and other acts of terrorism threatening the very foundations of the nation.
He says the President that Nigeria needs at this challenging time in the country’s history is one who understands the urgent need to unite the people and speedily initiate policies and actions to redirect the ship of the nation on the path of growth and development and emphasizes that Peter Obi has all such qualities.
Governor Ortom lauds Chief Obasanjo for once again demonstrating objectivity, trut,h, and patriotism as a statesman whose views on national issues must be taken seriously.
In other news, Kanyi Daily reported President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday signed the 2023 Appropriation Bill of N21.83 trillion into law.
Buhari signed the bill at the Council Chambers of the State House in Abuja.