Attempt to punish Ortom ill-advised, Benue PDP tells NWC

The Benue State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has passed vote of confidence in Governor Samuel Ortom, who is the party’s leader in the state.

This was as the Benue PDP urged  the leadership of the party at the national level to rescind its decision, referring Ortom to the party’s disciplinary committee over alleged anti-party activities.

Ortom is one of the G-5 PDP governors, who refused to support the party’s presidential, Atiku Abubakar.

But the Benue PDP, in a statement on Sunday by its Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom, said it couldn’t understand why the PDP National Working Committee would single only Ortom out for disciplinary action among the G-5 governors.

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It said rather than punish Ortom, the PDP should focus on reconciliation of aggrieved members, following the losses suffered by the party during the general elections.

Iortyom said, “The party feels strongly that in fulfilling its duty as a state chapter, it must remind the NWC of the implications of its current action against Governor Ortom and others.

“Firstly, the action runs in contempt of a subsisting court injunction restraining the PDP at all levels from taking any punitive action against the Benue State Governor pending the determination of a substantive suit, which is pending before a court of competent jurisdiction on the matter.

“Secondly, going by the mood within PDP ranks in Benue, it is the expectation that the emphasis now will be on mending bonds of unity and internal cohesion which were badly damaged in the build-up to and during the 2023 elections leading to the huge losses recorded by the party at the polls against an evidently weaker opposition.

“Never in the entire history of PDP has the party fared so badly at an election in Benue State as witnessed in 2023 ironically at a time its National Chairman is from the state.

“The PDP in Benue sees this latest action of the NWC against Governor Ortom as ill-timed, considering that evidence on ground points rather to the governor’s steadfastness in loyalty and love for PDP since his rejoining the party in 2018.”

According to the state chapter, Ortom has done creditably well for the party and ought not to be disciplined.

“It is therefore, a motion of the Benue PDP SWC that a vote of confidence be passed in Governor Samuel Ortom for his steadfast loyalty and selfless, sacrificial leadership to our great party, PDP.

“We equally call on the NWC to explore exhaustively options towards fostering reconciliation, unity, rebranding and repositioning of the party to recover its lost glory.”