APC loses first Governor to PDP, as Ortom dumps party

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has again suffered the loss of a prominent member as Benue State’s Governor Samuel Ortom has officially dumped the ruling party for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The governor’s dumping of APC is coming barely 24 hours after 15 senators and about 33 House of Representatives members on Tuesday left the ruling APC to opposition parties.

Ortom, who announced his defection from APC on Wednesday, said that he had forwarded his resignation letter from APC to his ward chairman. He also assured the readiness of the APC ward chairman to join him in the new party.

It was believed that Ortom’s defection may have come earlier than the governor expected as he was already about to attend a meeting with the national leadership of the APC in Abuja on Wednesday but was stopped by angry Benue youths, who insisted he must dump APC or be voted out in 2019.

A coalition of Benue youths involving over forty groups had earlier on Wednesday took the governor by surprise when they blocked the entrance of Benue State seat of power.

The angry youths sang native war songs and bore placards with different inscriptions like “Ortom don’t go back to APC,” “We don’t have land to donate for ranching,” “APC is Miyetti party,” Our farms are not for cows,” You must leave APC,” Ortom is our party” and “2019: On Ortom we stand.”

Speaking for the angry youths, Comrade Terrence Kuanum, and Pastor Dave Ogbole told Ortom:

“We are openly telling you this because if you fail to heed our advise and attend the meeting we will ensure that you are voted out in 2019.

“We the Benue youth are not prepared to stay with you in APC, we are not prepared to remain in a party where its leaders would prefer to look the other way while armed herdsmen killed our children, pregnant women, the aged and our defenseless people, that is why we are saying no to APC, a party that allowed bloodbath in Benue.

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“The saying goes that the voice of the people is the voice of God, Governor Ortom we the Benue youths say we do not want APC in Benue, and you must leave the party now.”

In apparent demonstration of their determination to have the governor leave APC, the youths ordered that the APC flag on Ortom’s official car be removed, a command the governor’s driver quickly heeded to.

Despite Ortom’s pleas for the youths to allow him attend the meeting in Abuja and assurance that their interest would be protected, the youths had insisted that the governor must return to his residence or be prepared to kill all of them who took over the roads leading out of the Government House.

Ortom, who eventually turned back with his entourage, announced his dumping of the ruling party about an hour after the encounter with the youths.

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