Shortly after youth blocked him from going to a reconciliation meeting with the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja, Tuesday, Governor Samuel Ortom has dumped the party.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tever Akase, said Mr. Ortom has finally joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
A coalition of youth comprising of over forty groups had earlier prevented the governor from attending a scheduled meeting with the national leadership of the APC in Abuja.
Mr. Ortom was leaving Government House, Makurdi for the trip when they blocked his route carrying placards.
Some of the placards read “Ortom don’t go back to APC,” “We don’t have land to donate for ranching,” “APC is Miyetti party,” “Our farms are not for cows,” “You must leave APC,” “Ortom is our party,” and “2019: On Ortom we stand.”
Their spokesmen, Terrence Kuanum, and Dave Ogbole advised the governor not to have further discussions with the APC leadership on his membership of the party but look for an alternative platform.
They threatened that if he attended the meeting they would vote him out in 2019.
To underscore their anger they ordered that the APC flag should be removed from the governor’s official car immediately and the governor’s driver complied.
Mr. Ortom, who was already on his way to Abuja for the meeting with the APC leaders pleaded with the youths to allow him to attend the meeting assuring that their interest would be protected.
The youth, however, refused, insisting that the only option available to him was to make a u-turn and Mr. Ortom did.
Shortly after the encounter with the youth, the governor held a brief consultation with his aides and formally announced his resignation from the ruling party.
Details coming…
