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Tag: Ortom

  • I’m not leaving PDP, says Ortom

    I’m not leaving PDP, says Ortom

    Former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has debunked the rumours that he might ditch the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for another party.

    Ortom spoke during the party’s stakeholders’ meeting yesterday in Makurdi, the state capital.

    The former governor said he remained a member of the main opposition and would continue to work for its progress.

    Read Also: Ortom, Moro, Uba, others pay tribute to Ngbede’s late mother

    “I am not defecting to any political party. I am not going anywhere. I will remain in PDP.

    “I have helped in building the party and I am committed to working for its progress,” Ortom said.

    The former governor advised leaders to expose rumour mongers in view of the damage their activities cause.

  • JUST IN: PDP G5 will support President Tinubu in 2027, says Ortom 

    JUST IN: PDP G5 will support President Tinubu in 2027, says Ortom 

    Former Benue governor, Samuel Ortom has declared that the G5 group within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. 

    The G-5 include Ortom, Wike, Ugwuanyi, Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Seyi Makinde (Oyo). 

    All the members of the group finished their second term of eight years as governor last May except Makinde who is now in his second term.

    Ortom spoke on Sunday, January 7, at a luncheon hosted by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike in Rivers. 

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    He affirmed that the G5 had no regret for supporting Tinubu’s victory in the last poll, declaring that the group will again back the ex-Lagos governor for a second term in office as Nigeria’s president in 2027. 

    Ortom assured Nigerians that Tinubu will fix security, economy and other critical areas of challenge to the citizens.

    Ortom said: “If we work to ensure Bola Ahmed succeeds, there will be tomorrow for anybody to even contest the election at all.

    “Our leader, Nyesom Wike, has already made a declaration that in 2027, we are supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    “We have nowhere to go because that is what Nigerians believe. Even the past administration that took Nigeria from top to bottom, we allowed them to work for eight years. 

    “So, why can’t a seasoned administrator in the person President Bola Ahmed Tinubu rule us for eight years.”

  • Ortom, Moro, Uba, others pay tribute to Ngbede’s late mother

    Ortom, Moro, Uba, others pay tribute to Ngbede’s late mother

    The mother of Sir John Ngbede, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP deputy governorship candidate in the 2023 election in Benue State, Mrs Otiti Ilodu Ngbede who died recently was today laid to rest in Obagaji, Agatu local government area.

    Prominent sons and daughters of the state who were at the funeral included the immediate past governor of Benue State, Chief Samuel Ortom, his Deputy Engr Benson Abounu, Senator Abba Moro, 2023 PDP governorship candidate in the state, Rt Hon Titus Uba, wife of former Senate President, Helen Mark, the member representing Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency, Hon Ojema Ojotu and members of the Benue State Working Committee of PDP who were led to the burial by the Deputy State Chairman of the party, Isaac Mffo.

    Read Also; FULL LIST: All past Ondo governors dead except Mimiko

    Paying tribute to the matriarch of the Ngbede Obochi family, Chief Ortom said the deceased was a good woman who touched many lives positively and was committed to the service of God and humanity.

    Earlier in a homily, the Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria, Rev Dr Oliver Ali Abba tasked Christians to always live in a way they would be remembered for their good deeds when they are gone.

  • Ortom bids farewell to former aide

    Ortom bids farewell to former aide

    The immediate past Governor of Benue State, Chief Samuel Ortom, accompanied by other prominent Nigerians, paid glowing tributes to his former Principal Private Secretary, Dr Stephen Amase who was buried at Tse-Amase Ute Village in Gwer-East Local Government Area of the State.

    In his funeral oration, Chief Ortom described the late Amase as an exceptional individual who touched the lives of many and whose contributions would be greatly missed.

    “Today, we mourn the loss of a dedicated public servant, a loyal friend, and a remarkable individual. Dr Amase’s untimely departure has left a void that cannot be filled. As my Principal Private Secretary, he was an integral part of my team, providing support, guidance, and wisdom throughout my two terms as the Governor of Benue State. His commitment to public service was unparalleled, and his contributions were instrumental to the success of our administration.

    Read Also: Ortom operates 600 banks accounts, Benue govt alleges

    “Beyond his achievements as a seasoned administrator, Dr Amase was a compassionate and a God-fearing person”, f Ortom stated.

    The former governor urged the family, friends and the entire people of Gwer to honour the memory of their son by sustaining the schools he established to provide knowledge to numerous young people.

  • Ortom operates 600 banks accounts, Benue govt alleges

    Ortom operates 600 banks accounts, Benue govt alleges

    The Benue state government has alleged that Governor Hyacinth Alia inherited over 600 banks accounts operated by the immediate past administration.

    The state commissioner for Finance and Budget Planning, Michael Oglegba, disclosed this on Thursday, October 19, when the state Correspondents’ Chapel members paid him a courtesy call in Makurdi.

    Oglegba said that Governor Alia had every justifiable reason to immediately freeze all government accounts after taking over because he needed to understand what was on ground.

    He said another reason was that they were shown only 25 government accounts operated by the State Government adding that information at the Nigerian Inter Bank System however showed that the State had over 600 accounts.

    He said: “When we came in, we asked for the accounts and bank statements and we were presented with about 25 bank accounts. A causal look at the Nigerian Inter Bank System showed that Benue Government has more than 600 accounts.

    “So the governor needed to freeze those accounts to know exactly what was happening.”

    Oglegba also said that the State wage bill has drastically reduced following the ongoing audits adding that the process was still ongoing and new figures would be announced when completed.

    On the State debts profile, he said the state government was owning over N359bn adding that the debts included that of the Local Government Areas.

    He explained that the state government was owning in excess N200bn adding that the remaining over N150bn were LGAs debts.

    He added: he debts own by the State itself was in excess of N200bn. This includes local and foreign debts. However, the LGAs also have their own debts, unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities and local contractors that made up the other N150bn.

    “So the Alia administration has no reason to lie about the State debts. We will be doing ourselves a great disservice if we say we own monies that we do not own. When we need loans for example who will give us?.”

    The commissioner further disclosed that the handing over notes from the immediate past administration indicated that there were 19,000 pupils and 16,000 teacher but physically they do not exist.

    He said that by this figures it was clear that it was one pupil to one teacher.

    Oglegba said the Alia administration has done so much within its five months in office without any borrowing.

    Read Also: Five killed, many injured in suspected herders’ clash in Benue

    He said there were ongoing construction of 16 township roads within the State Capital, lightening of Streets, rehabilitation and remodeling of State Assembly Complex, renovation of State Secretariat among others.

    He said the State Government has also paid five months salaries in the last four months.

    He said all contractors handling government projects in the State were also paid without collecting any loan.

    He also urged the correspondents members to always be objective and balance all reports adding that the government needed them to succeed.

    Earlier, Chairman of Correspondents’ Chapel, Mr Emmanuel Antswen said they came to partner with the commissioner to strengthen their working relationship.

    Antswen assured that the chapel members would continue to support and promote Government policies as they always do.

  • Saraki, Ortom, others jubilant as Mark exits Senate

    Senate President Bukola Saraki, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu and Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom yesterday paid glowing tributes to former Senate President David Mark for his meritorious service to his constituents and the country as he exits from the Senate after 20 years.

    In their separate goodwill messages to Mark at a thanksgiving mass at St. Augustine Catholic Church, Otukpo, Benue State, Saraki, Ekweremadu, Ortom and others described the former Senate President as an icon and patriotic leader in contemporary Nigeria.

    A statement by Mark’s media aide Paul Mumeh said the thanksgiving was to mark former Senate President’s exit from the Senate after 20 years.

    According to the statement, Saraki noted that his predecessor had set a record as the longest serving senator since 1999, the longest-serving President of the Senate and referred to him as an officer and a gentleman.

    He said: “Senator Mark was our own equivalent of the United States Senators Robert C. Byrd (51 years, five months, 26 days), Daniel K. Inouye (49 years, 11 months and 15 days) Strom Thurmond (47 years, five months, eight days), Ted Kennedy (46 years, nine months, 19 days and Patrick J. Leahy (44 years) in terms of institutional memory that he embodies.”

    Saraki acknowledged that Senator Mark remains a stabilising force in or out of the Red Chamber of the National Assembly.

    The Senate President also said he remains relevant, even when he left the position of the primus inter pares in the Senate.

    He added: “While Senator Mark’s record in the Senate remains unbeaten, it is necessary to mention that he is a bridge builder and consummate politician. My colleagues and I in the Eighth Senate appreciate his humility, brilliance and patriotism.”

    Ekweremadu underscored Mark’s leadership qualities, saying: “Your place of honour as a fine, perceptive, detribalised, patriotic, astute leader and a true democrat is unarguable and unshakable.”

    Besides leading the National Assembly to break the jinx of constitutional amendments and the successful electoral reforms, Ekweremadu added Mark’s “capacity as a wise, experienced, patriotic and true statesman manifested at a very trying time in the nation’s history when you guided the National Assembly to invoke the Doctrine of Necessity to steer the country away from palpable constitutional crisis.”

  • Ortom denies role in lawmakers’ suspension

    Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has denied any involvement in the extension of seven House of Assembly members’ suspension.

    He urged the affected members to appeal the judgment at the Court of Appeal, having lost at the High Court.

    A statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and ICT, Mr. Tahav Agerzua, reads: “Our attention has been drawn to a statement signed by the Acting Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Benue State, Mr James Ornguga, in which he accused Governor Samuel Ortom of conniving with the current leadership of the Benue State House of Assembly to extend the suspension of seven members.

    “We wish to state categorically that there is no basis whatsoever for dragging Governor Ortom into a matter that is purely the business of the members who constitute the legislative arm of government which is separate from the executive which the Governor heads.

    “It will be recalled that on July 30, 2018, the Assembly suspended the former Speaker, Terkimbi Ikyange, his deputy, James Okefe, former Majority leader, Benjamin Adanyi and five others for a period of six months for flouting its standing rules among other issues. The suspension was not based on Governor Ortom’s directives.

    “It is common knowledge that under the democratic dispensation there is separation of powers among the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary.

    “The APC Acting Publicity Secretary must be confidently ignorant to accuse the governor of complicity in the suspension of members of another arm of government.

    “With his kind of ignorance, the publicity scribe is likely to accuse the governor someday of being party to a court order, ruling or judgment even as these are the preserve of the judiciary.”

    The spokesman said this was not the first time the Eighth Assembly would suspend its members.

    “Earlier, Hon. Kester Kyenge of Logo Constituency was suspended for several months until he resolved his differences with colleagues who recalled him.

    “In this case, there is yet to be evidence that the issues that led to the suspension have been resolved. Instead of encouraging those affected to resolve the issues, the APC has resorted to bringing in the Governor who is not an assembly member.

    “From the statement, the APC must have been plagued by guilty conscience. The party’s leaders instigated the minority in the House to perpetrate impunity on July 30, 2018 when they employed security agencies to prevent the majority from getting access into the Assembly complex so that the minority could attempt an illegal impeachment process.

    “The APC should recall that the members whose suspension has just been extended challenged their suspension in court and lost.

    “Their best option was to proceed on appeal if they thought they had a good case. Having failed to explore that option APC is in no position to give them what they failed to obtain from the court.

    “APC can best be described as a meddlesome interloper in this matter which is the exclusive preserve of the Assembly.

    “Governor Ortom does not deserve to share that description with the party,” Agerzua added.

  • Ortom for UNN lecture tomorrow

    Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom will tomorrow deliver the maiden lecture of the Prof. Miriam Ikejiani-Clark Memorial Lecture organised by the department of Political Science, University of Nigeria Nsukka, (UNN), Enugu State.

    The lecture is titled: “The State and Management of Farmers/Headsmen Conflict in Nigeria: Lessons from the Benue Valley”.

    The Head of Department, Dr Ifeanyi Abada, who addressed reporters, said the department decided to honour and institute a memorial lecture for the late Ikejiani-Clark because of her contributions to the country and political science in particular.

  • Ortom, Lalong, Ganduje, Tambuwal win elections

    GOVERNORS Samuel Ortom (Benue), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Umar Ganduje (Kano) and Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) have retained their seats after the collation of Saturday’s supplementary polls.

    But their challengers – Emmanuel Jime (Benue), Jeremiah Useni (Plateau), Aliyu Sokoto (Sokoto) and Abba Yusuf (Kano), have rejected the results as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the close of the second ballot yesterday.

    They plan to seek judicial redress.

    Ortom of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 434,473 to defeat his All Progressives Congress (APC) challenger Jime, who scored 345,155; incumbent Plateau helmsman and APC candidate Lalong beat his PDP challenger Useni and Tambuwal of the PDP scored 512, 002 to beat APC’s Sokoto, who polled 511,660.

    The INEC had declared elections inconclusive in six states as there were no clear winners on the first ballot on March 9.

    The states are: Adamawa, Benue, Bauchi, Kano, Plateau and Sokoto. The commission fixed March 23 for makeup polls but a court barred the electoral umpire from going ahead in Adamawa and in Bauchi’s Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area.

    An Abuja Federal Court will today rule on INEC’s application to vacate an ex parte order barring it from conducting supplementary poll in Tafawa Belewa Council Area.

    Also tomorrow in Adamawa, a High Court will rule in an objection suit filed INEC against order obtained by Movement for the Restoration and Defence of Democracy (MRDD) governorship candidate Rev. Eric Theman, challenging the exclusion of his name of the ballot paper.

    Tambuwal, was returned after a keen contest with a lead margin of 342 votes.

    In the earlier results before the makeup poll, Tambuwal had 489,558 votes, leading with 3,413 as against APC’s Sokoto’s 486,145.

    Declaring the results in Sokoto yesterday at the Sultan Muhammadu Maccido Institute for Quranic and General Studies, venue of the collation, the Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of the Jigawa State University, Dutse, Prof Fatima Batulli Mukhtar, said the APC got 25,515 and the PDP scored 22, 444 from the 22 local government areas where the makeup was conducted.

    According to Mukhtar, 50, 332 of the 95,022 registered voters were accredited. Those whose votes were valid were 48,309 and 1,580 were rejected.

    Merging the final results, the Returning Officer said the  PDP scored 512,000; APC returned 511,660 votes with a total registered voters of 1,887,767 and 1,083,413 accredited for the exercise.

    Prof Mukhtar also gave the valid votes as 1,036,336 with 31,662 as rejected votes while 1,067,990  represented total votes cast.

    He said: “That Aminu Waziri Tambuwal having satisfied the electoral requirements and returned the highest votes is hereby declared winner of the Sokoto state governorship election.”

    In a swift reaction to the declaration, APC agent and campaign Director-General, Alhaji Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi, objected to the presentation of the results from Kebbe Local Government Area on two issues – malfunctioning Smart Card Reader and non-conduct of the exercise in some polling units. He urged INEC to look into his observations.

    Maigari said: “We strongly object the result from Kebbe and call on the electoral umpire to do the needful.”

    The electoral body noted the observations and complaints raised by the APC, saying that it will be in its record for possible attention.

    PDP supporters and well-wishers took to the streets to celebrate the victory.

    BENUE

    After days of intense suspense, emotional and psychological torture among the Benue populace, INEC yesterday returned Ortom as winner of the supplementary governorship poll.

    The election was declared inconclusive because the number of votes cancelled in areas where elections were disrupted was more than the margin of lead by Ortom after the March 9 governorship election.

    State Collation Officer Prof. Sebastine Maimako, Vice Chancellor, University of Jos, announced Ortom as winner having satisfied the requirements stipulated in the Electoral Act and guidelines for the declaration of winner of the election.

    The final statistics as announced by Maimako showed that 858,947 of the 2,471,894 registered voters were accredited for the election.

    The valid votes were 830,954; rejected votes (15,268) and the valid votes were 846,222.

    PLATEAU

    The INEC declared Lalong as winner of the election.

    The governor was declared the winner by the Returning Officer, Prof Richard Anande Kimbir, Vice Chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State.

    Announcing the final results, Prof Kimbir said, Simon Lalong of the APC polled 595, 582 votes to beat Useni of the PDP, who scored 546, 813.

    “I hereby declare Simon Lalong of APC returned as governor of Plateau State, having polled the highest numbers of votes in the state’s governorship election,” the returning officer said.

    Results of the supplementary election held in nine local government areas, including Langtang South, Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Bokkos, Jos North, Kanam, Mangu,  shendam and Pankshin, showed that Lalong scored 12,327 new votes. The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Jeremiah Useni, earned 8,487.

    The result of the supplementary was, therefore, added to that of the main election before it was announced.

    BAUCHI

    In Bauchi State, the PDP candidate Senator Bala was leading incumbent Governor Mohammed Abubakar of the APC in the supplementary governorship election conducted in 36 Polling Units (PUs), covering 29 Registration Areas (Wards) in 15 local government areas.

    The makeup poll did not hold in the Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area, owing to a court order.

    Mohammed garnered 6376 votes against Abubakar’s 5117 votes on Saturday. He was leading the incumbent with 1259 between both parties.

    The result was announced in Bauchi  yesterday by the Returning Officer, Prof. Mohammed Kyari, Vice Chancellor of the Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola.

    At the close of the ballot on March 9, Mohammed had 469,512 votes. Abubakar had 465,453. The 4059 lead margin prompted INEC to declare the poll inconclusive after a Federal High Court in Abuja halted the collation and announcement of results for the Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area.

    Abubakar got a court injunction restraining INEC from continuing with the collation and announcement of election results. Judgment will be delivered today.

    The total votes scored so far  by Mohammed in the 19 out of the 20 council areas has increased to 475,888. Abubakar’s stands at 470, 570 votes.  The difference is 5,318 votes.

    The PDP yesterday urged the governor to concede defeat and work together with the party for the progress of the state.

    Speaking in a telephone interview with The Nation, PDP Chairman, Hamza Koshe Akuyam said the “right thing for the governor to do is to surrender in the face of an imminent defeat”.

    Mohammed has expressed gratitude to the people for their support.

    He said: “We owe our victory to the people of Bauchi who have stood very firm on the threshold of freedom and liberty and have shown that they are the icons of democracy and liberty. Words alone cannot express my appreciation to them all.”

    The former FCT minister addressed a news conference at the Command Guest House in Bauchi immediately the results of the election were announced.

    KANO

    Incumbent Governor Umar Ganduje of the APC was last night declared winner of the makeup governorship election Kano State.

    Declaring the winner of the poll, Collation Officer Prof. Bello Shehu said that after merging the final results, the APC candidate polled 1,033,695, while his challenger Abba Yusuf of the PDP scored 1,024,713 votes.

    He said that 2,268,305 of the 5,426,989 registered were accredited. The valid votes cast stood at 2,199,535 and 50,861 were rejected.  Those who cast their ballot were 2,242,396.

    He added that the APC candidate defeated his opponent with 8,982 votes.

    According to Shehu, the winner was declared after the collation of results from all the 28 affected Local government areas where the supplementary elections held on Saturday.

    He said: “That Abdullahi Umar Ganduje having satisfied the recuirment of the law, has scored the highest votes, is hereby declared winner and returned elected.”

    The collation officer said that the governorship election was earlier declared inconclusive following the high number of cancellation of votes as a result of violence and over voting.

    According to him, the total number of votes cancelled during March 9 election was more that the margin between the PDP candidate, who was leading with 26,000 votes and that of the APC candidate.

    Yusuf was earlier declared to have 1,014,474, against the APC candidate Gov Ganduje who garned 987,819 votes.

    The votes cancelled during the first ballot were 128,572 and the collation officer said the electoral act stipulates that such election must be declared inconclusive.

    The PDP agent, who is also the party chairman in the state, Suleiman Rabiu Bichi frowned at the conduct and rejected the entire supplementary election process, especially that of Gama in Nassarawa Local Government Area.

    His APC counterpart, Abdullahi Abbas, described the election as another landmark victory for the APC, adding that the era of politicking is over.

    “Our doors are wide open to embrace the PDP for a better governance”, the APC chair said.

  • APC vows to challenge Ortom’s victory at Tribunal

    The Jime – Ode campaign Organisation has vowed to challenge the declaration of Governor Samuel Ortom as re-elected by Independent National Election Commission (INEC).

    Its Secretary Professor Eugene Aliegba, in a statement, alleged the supplementary election was fraught with irregularities such as votes buying, massive thump printing and intimidation of voters.

    He said: ”Moments ago, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), upon completion of the collation of results in the Benue supplementary elections, made a pronouncement on the outcome of the 2019 governorship election, declaring Mr Samuel Ortom of the PDP winner of the governorship contest in Benue State.

    “We note that the announcement by INEC marks the end of another phase in this year’s electoral cycle.

    “When we embarked on this journey many months ago, it was to translate to reality the dreams of a better future to our long suffering people.

    “Our message resonated with the electorate because they could tell our project was about service, not hinged on an intent to occupy office for the sake of it.

    “And even as the results as declared don’t appear to reflect the will of most of these same people, we call on our supporters to remain extremely calm and law abiding as they’ve been throughout the campaigns and electioneering period.”

    He added: “Going into this contest, we were well aware of the fact that only one of two outcomes were possible; either we won fairly in line with the massive support we earned from the people; or another winner emerged through a credible and transparent process.

    ‘’We did not anticipate a third option that confers advantage to those who played dubiously outside the laid down rules of the game.

    “And because the results announced in favour of Governor Ortom and the PDP is a direct product of brutal violence, vote buying, ballot-stuffing, results-falsification, non use of the card reader and a range of other irregularities that have no place in our electoral laws, we are making it unequivocally clear that the Benue APC will explore all constitutional and legal options available to ensure the votes of the people count.

    “In simple terms, we will make a case before the Election Petitions Tribunal to subject the Benue governorship elections result to an integrity test.”