The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has said that only his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) prevented him from personally leading the presidential campaign of Labour Party (LP) candidate, Peter Obi, across the nation.
Ortom said this while commending former President Olusegun Obasanjo for endorsing Obi for the 2023 presidency.
Recall that Obasanjo endorsed Obi in a New Year letter to Nigerians on Sunday, January 1.
The presidential campaigns of the All Progressivessives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rejected the endorsement, with the APC describing it as “worthless”.
However, the Benue governor said Obasanjo endorsed Obi as the right candidate to win this year’s presidential election and provide the leadership that Nigerians desire.
Ortom, in a Tuesday statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, said if he were not a member of the PDP, he would have personally led Obi’s campaign across the country.
“Governor Ortom strongly recommends Peter Obi to Nigerians as the man who has the capacity to effectively tackle the economic, security and other challenges facing the country.
“He is convinced that Obi possesses the qualities of a leader who will be a true President of this country by guaranteeing justice, equity and fairness for all Nigerians.
“The Governor stresses that for some years, the country has been tottering on the verge of collapse, owing to leadership failure and its attendant consequences of poverty, heightened insecurity with banditry, kidnappings and other acts of terrorism threatening the very foundations of the nation.
“He says the President that Nigeria needs at this challenging time in the country’s history is one who understands the urgent need to unite the people and speedily initiate policies and actions to redirect the ship of the nation on the path of growth and development, and emphasizes that Peter Obi has all such qualities.
“Governor Ortom lauds Chief Obasanjo for once again demonstrating objectivity, truth and patriotism as a statesman whose views on national issues must be taken seriously,” the statement read.
