BREAKING: Benue Governor Samuel Ortom Joins PDP

The wave of defection from the All Progressives Congress worsened on Wednesday as Benue State governor Samuel Ortom announced his defection from the ruling party to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The governor announced his decision during a meeting with local government chairmen and councilors, at the government House in Makurdi, the state capital.

The announcement put to rest months of speculation that Mr Ortom was dumping the APC.

Ortom also said that the APC ward chairman in the state was “ready to join” him in PDP.

His announcement comes a day after 52 federal lawmakers from the Senate and House of Representatives defected from the APC, with about 95 percent joining the opposition PDP.

The defecting lawmakers cited division at all levels of the APC as the reason for their defection.

The Benue governor said that he has forwarded the letter of his resignation from the All Progressives Congress to his ward chairman.

Earlier today, Governor Ortom’s convoy was blocked by some angry youths who reportedly don’t want the governor to attend a “peace meeting” with APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.

The governor was said to be on his way to Makurdi airport en route Abuja to meet the APC leadership for a peace talk when the youths blocked his convoy to prevent him from settling his differences with the party.

Recall that the governor had recently accused the ruling party of handing him “red card” and pushing him out of the pitch, hence he was ready to join another political party.

But after meeting the party’s national chairman in Abuja last week, Ortom said he was still in the APC and was contemplating settling his grievances with the party.

On his way for another scheduled meeting with the party’s leadership, the angry Benue youths reportedly forced the governor to make a u-turn back to the Government House as they removed the APC’s flag from the governor’s convoy, describing the party as “Miyetti Allah Party”.

From all the indications, the placard-carrying youths do not want the governor to remain in the party they deemed has failed to help end the wanton killing of their people by suspected Fulani herdsmen.