*Ortom apologises over anti-Fulani comment
By Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi
The aggrieved five governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) popularly referred to as PDP G-5 Integrity Group led by Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, have expressed their support for the actualization of the second term bid of Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed of Bauchi State in the 2023 general election.
Also, Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, tendered apology to Nigerians over reports in the media that he will not support a Fulani man’s presidential aspiration while reacting to killings in his state by gunmen.
THISDAY reports that governors in attendance were, Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Samuel Ortom of Benue ,Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state, while Seyi Makinde of Oyo state of Oyo state was said to be in the United States.
Governor Wike who made the pledge while fielding questions from newsmen at Ramat House, Bauchi Wednesday during a solidarity meeting of the Group with Governor Mohammed said that whatever affects Governor Mohammed also affects them as a group, sdding, “the reason we resolve to reach out to him with support for his second term bid”.
According to him, “We come here in solidarity with our friend, the Governor of Bauchi State. We know that he’s running for a second term in office and what we are doing to those of our friends is to find out how things are with them, how the elections are going. This period is a period to identify with your friends”.
“Luckily, four of us that are here are not running for a second term in office,even though they are running for senate I’m the only one who is not running for election after I failed at the (presidential) primary (election).
“Everybody knows that I lost the presidential ticket of the party but I defeated Senator Bala Mohammed, so we are here to fraternize with him and discuss issues of synergy and support him. If there’s any area we can help and advice because what affects him also affects us”.
Governors in attendance were, Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Samuel Ortom of Benue ,Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state while Seyi Makinde of Oyo state of Oyo state was said to be in the United States.
Responding,Governor Bala Mohammed expressed happiness that the Governors were in the state to support his second term bid, saying that he is still connected with the G-5 members.
“Today, I am very, very happy to receive my brothers, the Governors of the G-5, they call themselves the Integrity Group. I am supposed to be with them but they ex-communicated me for some reasons best known to them, but I am highly connected with them”.
“Each and everyone of them, there is hardly a day I don’t call them, because, in politics, you go with the people with whom you share something in common” .
“This presidency that we ran, which my brother (Wike) lost and he defeated me, has brought us very close and of course at the Governors Forum” .
“One thing I appreciate with them is that they are concerned with your challenges, though all of them are not running for a second term, they are always worried, their own particular ideas may be slightly different from my own but expectedly I bear and feel their pains as much as they do in my own pains, we share so much in common”, he stressed.
“They know that I have challenges in Bauchi, challenges of anti-party, challenges of undercutting and mischief, of course, politics is about all these” .
“But when you know that you have people behind you, of that stature, caliber, you feel secured because there is hardly anything we can do better than what we have done before”.
“Especially for those that are not going for a second term, for me, I feel that I have done well for the people, I am not the only one created on the surface of the earth from this area in Bauchi, I have left legacies and landmark.Now that they are here, I will have the opportunity of confiding to the people I believe I can confide in, some of my worries, my fears and that of my state” .
“So, I am happy that you came because some of those things cannot be said on the phone but as PDP members from the same family I see you as my fellow comrades in this journey of life. Thank you most sincerely for taking the time to come for a show of solidarity” he said
Also speaking, the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom tendered an apology to Nigerians over reports in the media that he will not support a Fulani man Presidential aspiration while reacting to killings in his state by gunmen.
Ortom who was also answering questions from journalists during the meeting said that those who are aggrieved by his statement should not feel offended.
Governor Ortom said that what he said was not what he meant, pointing out that he was after the peace of the country and not to over heat the polity in the nation.
“I want apologize to Nigerians who might have felt offended by my recent statement where i was quoted that i will not support a Fulani man becoming Nigeria’s president, I never meant it that way”
“I want to say that, that was not what I meant when I was captured, but all the same, I know that it would amount to logical fallacy if people have taken it the way I did but I want to say to those who are so offended by my remarks, I am very sorry, I didn’t mean that.” he said. END
