2023: Ortom backs Obasanjo’s endorsement of Peter Obi

Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has thrown his weight behind the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi in the forthcoming elections.

This comes barely 48 hours after former President Olusegun Obasanjo released a six-page letter endorsing the former Anambra State governor.

Ortom is one of five aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) known as the G5 or Integrity Group. Others are Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia).

The governors have refrained from campaigning for the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar amid opposition to the party’s National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu coming from the same region as the standard bearer.

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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.”

Ortom said 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.

The statement further read, “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, truth, and patriotism as a statesman whose views on national issues must be taken seriously.”