Lateef Taiwo
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has encouraged members of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the state to keep faith with the party, arguing that losing election is not the end of the road.
Governor Ortom who gave the encouragement Wednesday, while addressing the last expanded stakeholders meeting held at government house Makurdi, said he decided to put together the meeting as an avenue to appreciate party men and women as well as Benue people for the opportunity to serve at various times in different capacities as state secretary of the PDP, it’s Vice Chairman in the state, national auditor and minister of the Federal Republic, describing the experience as wonderful.
” The people stood with me especially when the state was under siege and the evil perpetrated during my reign as governor by the federal government in active connivance with some other sons of the state who were out to work against the state for crumbs”Ortom said,adding that the rejection of our forefathers not to be enslaved has today given the Tiv,Idoma and Igede an identity as a people.
He lamented that apart from being in opposition,as governor,he has personally being in crisis with government at the centre for his stand against injustice, expressing joy that the overwhelming support enjoyed from his people has given him courage and equally made him believe that he actually came,saw and conquered.
The governor who said experience has thought him that life is about today, yesterday and tomorrow, expressed optimism that at the end of his administration doubting Thomas’s would compare his achievements with the other previous ones to be in a better position to draw conclusion for historical purposes.
He said the APC led federal government has taken the country from top to bottom with challenges of insecurity,high level poverty and degrading social conditions of Nigerians and encouraged the people not lose faith or panic but continuously trust in God as the only one to provide solution to the present predicament, expressing optimism that God will help the people to survive.
Ortom assured PDP members in the state that he would always be available for the PDP even after May 29 and would equally continue to stand for equity, fairness and justice even outside government.
Responding separately, Chief David Amo zone A,Mike Mku zone B and Christian Abba for zone C all said their meeting with the outgoing governor had strengthened the party and it’s members, expressing optimism that the party will bounced back with it’s members learning from their past mistakes to come out stronger.
They said were equally assured that the party is still in tact, adding that when the party lost elections members resulted to blame games a development that has put many people in a fix, assuring that the stakeholders will take the massage to the grassroot and promised the governor that members of the PDP will always stand behind him.
