Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has said stakeholders of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) are not compelled to support the party’s consensus candidate and Speaker of the state’s House of Assembly, Titus Uba, and can support any other aspirant.
Our correspondent reports that Uba emerged as the PDP’s consensus candidate from the Tiv zone while his running mate emerged from the Idoma-speaking area.
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Daily Trust reports that some of the aspirants had snubbed the consensus and joined the race by purchasing their expression of interest and nomination forms in readiness for the party’s primaries.
The governor, who however dismissed allegations that he anointed who would succeed him while addressing the stakeholders at the Government House in Makurdi, the state capital, said a level-playing ground would be available for the aspirants to test their popularity.
“For gubernatorial, the nine local government areas of zone C came to a consensus candidate, Benson Abounu. Patrick Ogbu is involved; if for any reason he changes his mind, he is allowed to contest.
“In zone A, anybody who wants to contest is free. Nobody is compelled to support Titus Uba. Some people have been screened and found eligible to contest,” he said.
