Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has supported the agitations that the southerners, particularly, the Igbos should produce the next President come 2023 saying it will be a fair deal.
Governor Ortom stated this while speaking to journalists on his return from a private visit to his Akwa Ibom state counterpart, Governor Emmanuel Udom.
Ortom said the North has produced the presidency for eight years and it would be good to allow the southerners to produce the next president in the spirit of fairness, justice and equity.
According to him, the southern part of the country is rich in human resources and there are several people in Igboland that can perform well as President.
Ortom who said that he lacks the power to actualize this because he is not a southerner said “I cannot decide for the Southerners. I’m a Northerner. We are in a democracy, whatever the people decide in the South, is what I will support.
“All that I am saying is that, let there be a Southern President for this country. The North has gotten eight years and what have we have seen is injustice, unfairness and inequity in our land. No security, the economy is in shambles. As I talk to you, the Federal Government has borrowed over N27 trillion and what they have done with it I do not know. People are just pocketing this money for their own interest. Let us try another zone.
“I do not only support Southern Presidency, I also, support the resolution by the Southern Governors to ensure a deadline for the Prohibition of Open Grazing law in their region
“The third thing I support is that all the tricks, they are making that in 2023, they will rig, I support that there should be electronic transmission of results so as to avoid rigging.
“In Benue State, we will resist any form of rigging. We will be fully mobilized and ensure that the right thing is done during the 2023 election. Whatever the intimidation they will want to put up, we believe that the grace of God will help us achieve the desired result,” he said.
Speaking on the agitation for power shift to Benue South Senatorial Zone (Idomaland), Ortom said it was achievable.
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He said he has advised contestants from the zone to dialogue with their brothers and other people from other zones to actualize their dream.
“I am a man of justice and anytime I deviate from this, correct me because you are between me and the people. 2023 is open to what the Benue people want. Democracy means the decision of the majority of the people. So, for those who have been coming to me from zones A and C, I tell them to go and discuss with the people.
“It’s not impossible for zone C (Benue South) to be governor. When the time comes, I will ask in my political party, PDP for a dialogue because there are people in the party from Zone C that want to be Governor. Same in zone A. So, I will put them together to discuss and if they agree that zone C should produce the governor, fine. If they decide that it should be zone A, I will consent to it.
“If this fails, we will decide to follow the rule of the game which is primary and by the grace of God as leader of the party in the State, I will ensure equity, fairness and justice for all contestants and at the end whosoever emerges as candidate, I Samuel Ortom will support that person”.
