Ortom debunks defection rumour, says ‘I am not leaving PDP’

A former governor of Benue, Dr Samuel Ortom, has debunked rumours making the rounds that he is leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for another political party.

Ortom made the clarification during the party’s stakeholders meeting on Monday in Makurdi.

The former governor said he remained a member of the party and would continue to work for its progress.

“I am not defecting to any political party. I am not going anywhere. I will remain in PDP.

“I have helped in building the party and I am committed to working for its progress,” Ortom said.

He advised leaders to expose rumour mongers in view of the damage caused by their activities.

Also speaking  at the meeting, Sen. Gabriel Suswam  admonished PDP leaders to always strive to work together to make the party stronger

According to him, the PDP is capable of winning all elections in the state.

Suswam, also a former governor of the state, pledged that the party would not impose party officials on members, saying that members would be allowed to choose their leaders themselves.

He said that PDP made mistakes during the 2023 general elections and thar the party  had learnt a lot of lessons.

The former governor said that the lessons learnt would propel the party to plan better and wrestle power from APC.

Mr John Ngbede,  the PDP Chairman in the state, urged members sowing seeds of discord among party leaders to desist forthwith.

Ngbede said that if they continue to sow the seeds of discord among leaders, they will be disappointed.

“We, the leaders of PDP, are very united and we will remain so no matter the circumstances.

“We will work very hard to reclaim our mandate in 2027. The Benue State Government House belongs to us,” Ngbede said.