Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has urged the Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, to switch from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in his race to become the next president of the country.
Ortom, who received Fayemi at the Government House in Makurdi on Saturday during the latter’s visit to canvass support for his presidential ambition, said he was working for the emergence of a southern president.
He urged Fayemi to pursue his ambition with vigour, stating that he and ex-Governor Gabriel Suswam, who was also present during the visit, would have worked for him if he were in PDP.
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He said, “If they mess you up in APC, come to PDP and join us so we can prosecute Nigerians’ agenda.
“Some of us have made our positions very clear. We are from the north but believe in a southern presidency because we believe in fairness, equity and justice. Yet, if my party says it’s a northern candidate, I would have no choice but to succumb.
“But the truth must be told, the presidency, for some of us who have a conscience, believes that it should go to the south. But if the leadership and delegates decide that it should go to the north, that’s not going to be a problem, then we can queue up and work together. Because we must have leadership, that’s why myself and Senator Suswam believe in the south and we are working for a southern presidency.
“Just like you came here, if we are in APC, we would have been working for you because we know that you have the capacity, knowledge and education to help us out of the problem we are today as a country.”
Earlier, the presidential hopeful said he was at the Government House to pay a courtesy call on Governor Ortom while on the visit to meet with APC delegates in the state.
Fayemi said the visit was to fulfil the tradition of the Nigerian Governorship Forum (NGF) as its chairman, irrespective of the political party differences.
