Former Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has strongly refuted the allegations made by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, dismissing them as baseless and nothing more than a feeble attempt at blackmail. Ortom labeled the accusations as unfounded and suggested that they were a desperate ploy to tarnish his reputation and that of his colleagues in the G-5.
In a press statement released by Ortom’s media aide, Terver Akase, he questioned whether Atiku himself had approved such a statement by his special assistant on public communication. Akase emphasized that if Atiku had indeed given his consent, he should have refrained from blaming the G-5 for his defeat in the elections.
Ortom further maintained that Atiku should be more concerned about the fact that he has entered the annals of history as the first presidential candidate from a prominent political party to be rejected by influential stakeholders, including five incumbent Governors and numerous members of his own party. Rather than engaging in finger-pointing, Ortom suggested that Atiku should reflect upon why the G-5 and other members of the Integrity Group had chosen to reject his candidacy.
“The group stood for justice, equity and fairness that the 2023 presidency must go to the southern part of the country and Nigerians saw the indisputable facts contained in the position of the Integrity Group and voted for a presidential candidate from the south.
Atiku is angry because Governor Ortom and his colleagues in the G-5 refused to be used by him as ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ (SPVs) to circumvent and thwart the resolve of Nigerians to produce a President from the southern region.”The statement read in part.
Source: AIT NEWS
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