A former governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom has said that some key members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) worked against the party’s committee’s recommendation for Nyesom Wike to become a running mate to Atiku Abubakar in the build-up to the 2023 general elections.
Speaking on Arise Television on Thursday, Ortom, a strong ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory said 16 out of a 20-member committee had recommended Wike as Atiku’s vice.
He, however, said that the recommendation was thwarted by Atiku and other leaders of the PDP.
He said, “That was why I worked against the PDP in the 2023 election. Simply because I believed the party would stand for equity, fairness, and justice—principles they unfortunately did not uphold.
“I was part of a 20-man committee set up to select a running mate for Atiku Abubakar.
“Sixteen of us chose Wike, but somehow, the candidate and those in leadership positions within the party decided to work against him,” Ortom stated.
He added that this led to the formation of the G-5 agenda, a team of five governors of the PDP including Ortom, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.
He also said that they had taught that the PDP would stand for equity, justice and fairness but unfortunately, the reverse was the case.
“Because I couldn’t have imagined that PDP, after eight years of Northern presidency, would now say, another eight years or four years of another Northern presidency.
According to him, the major agenda of the G-5 team was to ensure the emergence of a Southern candidate for the 2023 presidential election.
“While the G5 agenda was also about interests, our original goal was to have a southern candidate, and I’m glad that a southern candidate ultimately emerged as President,” Ortom noted.
