Ortom is the first governor elected on the platform of the APC to leave the party (photo credit: Channels TV)
Governor Samuel Ortom’s defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was ”somewhat surprising,” the APC has said.
The governor of Benue state dramatically ended his APC membership on Wednesday.
He made the announcement at a meeting with elected local government chairmen and Councillors at the Government House, Makurdi.
But that was after some youths protested and prevented him from travelling to Abuja to attend an APC reconciliation meeting.
And the national spokesman of the ruling party, Malam Bolaji Abudullahi, expressed surprise over this development.
Ortom had met with the National Chairman of APC
He said Ortom, having discussed with the APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, over his grievances with the party in Benue state, was not expected to leave the party.
“The Governor had left the meeting saying he was satisfied with the assurances given by party leaders, we are still working on giving effect to the resolutions from the meeting,” Abudullahi said in a statement.
“Therefore, we are somewhat surprised by Gov. Ortom’s decision.”
Ortom had on July 19 assured Oshiomhole that he would remain in the party after alleging that the party’s Benue chapter gave him a “red card”.
The governor had given the assurance while speaking with newsmen after a closed-door meeting with the APC national chairman.
The governor and former governor of the state Senator George Akume had been having a running battle over who controlled the party in the state.