Here are three major reasons that necessitated the bold decision by Governor Ortom to quit his the APC. The Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, dumped the ruling All Progressives’ Congress, APC to join the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, on Wednesday, July 25, 2018.Ortom’s decision to quit the APC is coming after 15 senators and 10 members of the House of Assembly quit the ruling party.Here are three major reasons that necessitated the bold decision by Governor Ortom to quit his party despite reconciliatory moves by the party’s leadership.Endorsement from 35 local government bossesGovernor Ortom’s decision to leave the ruling party has been revealed as a welcomed idea by the chairmen of the 35 local governments in Benue state. In his resignation speech, Ortom said: The 22 local governments represented by the councillors here and then the 13 local government chairmen have unanimously endorsed that my stay in the APC has expired, that I should look for another platform. On that note, I have formally resigned from the All Progressives’ Congress.”Fight for justice, equity and fairness for Benue peopleGovernor Ortom said that one of the reasons he decided to resign his membership with the APC is to secure a better political platform in ensuring justice, equity and fairness for the people of Benue state.ALSO READ: PDP welcomes Ortom after defection from APCHe said,”With your support, and because you have given me a blank cheque to also nominate a party that we can further fight to ensure justice, equity and fairness for the people of Benue State, let me formally announce to you that I now would join the People’s Democratic Party.”Alleged attacks from Benue APC Ortom also claimed that he has been the target of major attacks from the Benue chapter of the All progressive Congress.The Governor also said despite the intervention of APC national leadership, the state’s APC has continued to attack his office and person.“The state chapter has continued to launch an attack on me,” he said.Obeying choice of electoratesIn his speech while announcing his resignation from the APC, Governor Ortom implied that his actions are as a result of the yearnings of the electorates in Benue – most of whom are youths.He noted that the leadership of the local government areas in the state unanimously endorsed his resignation from the ruling party.In the same vein, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Terve Akase, said Ortom’s decision is in compliance with the wishes of the Benue people.”The youths came and asked him not to go to Abuja for any meeting with the APC national chairman that they don’t want him to continue in APC. The governor is a people-oriented governor, he obeys the wishes of his people, so he has done just what the people want,” Akase said.Prior to his announcement of quitting APC, a large number of Benue youths formed a human barricade and stopped his convoy from leaving the Government House to attend a reconciliation meeting with the national leadership of the APC in Abuja on Wednesday.The youths asked the governor to resign his membership from the APC or lose the support of the people. Ortom had pleaded to be allowed to attend the meeting and protect the interest of the people of the state but all pleas fell on deaf ears and he was forced to make a U-turn and return to the Government House.
