The Benue governor has officially dumped the APC for PDP after months of speculation. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has welcomed Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, to its fold after he dumped the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) on Wednesday, July 25, 2018.During a meeting with elected local government chairmen and councillors at the Government House on Wednesday, Ortom disclosed that he was joining the PDP to ensure justice, equity and fairness for the people of Benue.”I have formally resigned from APC to PDP and have presented my letter of resignation to the party’s chairman of my ward,” he announced.The PDP took to its official Twitter account (@OfficialPDPNig) to congratulate the governor on dumping the “failed and dysfunctional” APC.The post read, “Breaking News: Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has finally dumped the failed and dysfunctional @APCNigeria and has returned to the reformed & re-positioned @OfficialPDPNig. We welcome him back to our Party as we await the return/defection of others. PDP! Power to the People.”Ortom, a former Minister of State for Trade and Industry, had dumped the PDP for APC in 2014 after he lost out at the party’s gubernatorial primary election.The governor made his announcement only hours after 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. His pleas to be allowed to attend the meeting and protect the interest of the people of the state fell on deaf ears and he was forced to make a U-turn and return to the Government House.The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Terve Akase, told Pulse Nigeria that the governor’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,” he said.Ortom’s defection was expectedThe governor’s defection comes as no surprise as he has had a frosty relationship with the federal government in the past few months on the back of violent killings in the state which has led to the death of hundreds.The governor has repeatedly accused the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore of sponsoring cattle herders to kill residents of rural communities, claiming in May 2018 that an estimated 492 people had been killed by herdsmen.The governor’s several public calls have been ignored by the federal government and the governor’s frustration has been public knowledge for months.His defection finally happened a week after he said the APC had kicked him out and announced that he was shopping for a new party. However, he was back with the party on Thursday, July 19 as he declared, “I am here in APC, a member of APC, I’m still flying the flag of APC” after a meeting with the party’s national leadership in Abuja.Youths of the state prevented him on Wednesday from continuing that reconciliation in his scheduled meeting with national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, and some other party members.APC continues to bleedOrtom’s defection also happens just a day after 14 Senators left the ruling APC, with 12 moving to the PDP and the other two pitching tent with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the political party adopted by the Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM) launched by former president, Olusegun Obasanjo.37 members of the House of Representatives also dumped the party on Tuesday. 32 of them moved to the PDP.
