Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has thrown his weight behind the continuation of a southern presidency in 2027, insisting the South must complete its eight-year term before power rotates back to the North.
Speaking during a media interaction in Makurdi on Thursday, Ortom declared his unwavering stance.
“Till today, I, Ortom, believe in southern presidency, even if my party (PDP) is producing a candidate for presidency in 2027, the candidate must be from the South. South should be allowed to complete eight years.
So, for me, I am not supporting a northern candidate,” he said.
Ortom, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party’s Board of Trustees, also applauded President Bola Tinubu for implementing bold economic reforms.
“Tinubu administration is doing well; he is ensuring that the rule of law prevails, and this is good for our country.
The oil industry had been a place where a few cliques siphoned our common wealth, but with the removal of subsidies, there is a lot of money in all the states.
The president even stated this during his visit to Benue at the height of the killing of our people in Yelwata, where he said that no state would say it doesn’t have money to pay salaries.”
He further praised Tinubu’s tax reforms as positive steps for national development.
However, Ortom didn’t hold back in criticizing former President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure, saying, “Buhari’s administration took the country from top to bottom.”
The former governor also distanced himself from the emerging opposition coalition aimed at challenging the APC in 2027.
“I remain a member and leader of Peoples Democratic Party; I am even a board member of my party and I don’t believe in coalition but where there’s need for strategic partnership, you will see me there,” Ortom added.
