Why Ortom stayed away from Atiku campaign flag-off – PDP Senator

The Senator representing Benue North Senatorial District, Emmanuel Orker-Jev, has explained why Governor Samuel Ortom did not attend the campaign flag-off of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, held on Monday in Akwa Ibom State.

He said the governor was stuck between a rock and a hard place as regards the crisis in the party.

Emmanuel Orker-Jev spoke during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today.

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Governor Wike’s camp has been demanding the removal of the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, citing the ‘principle of justice and fairness’.

However, some governors, including Ortom, were absent as the party flagged off its presidential campaign in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on Monday.

Speaking on why Ortom was absent at the event, Emmanuel Orker-Jev said, “My governor Ortom is trapped between a rock and a hard place in this matter. You know the governors are very powerful especially in the opposition party when it comes to running the party, because they fund the party. And because of the manoeuvres of the governors, the president of national excos is in place. And indeed because of that the national chairman was there today.

“At one hand Ortom will not want to disappoint his brother governors who manoeuvred and we arrived at where we are today, supporting this excos. The national chairman comes from Benue; so Ortom cannot be seen to come out clearly and work against him. That is why I said he is trapped between a rock and a hard place.”