Ortom bombs Oshiomhole

Governor Samuel Ortom yesterday reacted to the allegation that he was complicit in the gale of killings going on in Benue State, advising Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to always speak with decorum and be “statesmanly in his utterances”. He also urged him to carefully note the difference between party chairman and union leader.

Ortom wondered why Oshiomhole who had recently lavished him with praise could now begin to make spurious and unfounded allegations just because he left the APC.

A statement made available to BDSUNDAY in Benue quoted the state government as saying that “On the 19th of July, 2018, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole poured encomiums on Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom.
“Oshiomhole was addressing journalists at the party’s secretariat in Abuja shortly after his meeting with Governor Ortom whom he described as one of the star performers of the APC. He also described Governor Ortom as an honourable man. Oshiomhole went further to state that the party would do everything to keep the Benue State governor within its fold like a highly valued diamond and not let him defect to another party.”
The statement also quoted Oshiomhole as saying that “Governor Ortom is not going anywhere. He is a very, very prominent member of our party. We appreciate his leadership in Benue and we will do everything possible to help those who have issues to have those issues resolved. Anything we would do, I would do.”

The release noted that “The APC National Chairman was right when he commended Governor Samuel Ortom over his performance in the last three years. Oshiomhole’s commendation of the governor was in agreement with the unanimous endorsement the Benue State chapter of the APC gave him during its state congress recently.

“We were however, shocked when, a few days later after Ortom’s defection from APC, we read Comrade Oshiomhole making a 180 degrees turn to launch verbal attacks on the governor.

“The APC National Chairman’s sudden aggression towards Governor Ortom has revealed among other things, the true oppressive intentions of the ruling party APC against Nigerians.”

It accused “Oshiomhole of flying a kite of an agenda to intimidate and suppress Nigerians who desire freedom from a party which has clearly failed to secure lives and property, thereby ushering in an orgy of violence never before witnessed in the history of the country.”
Advising the APC national chairman to approach his job with maturity, the Benue State government said: “Oshiomhole ought to be telling Nigerians why they should vote for APC next year instead of embarking on a voyage of attacks on perceived opponents. His unprovoked attack on Governor Ortom and other members of the opposition has not translated to a single vote for the APC.

“A man of supposed high political stature like Oshiomhole should rather be out to court the sympathy of the very few key actors still left in the APC even in the face of unprecedented frustration by anomalies in the party instead of launching laughable verbal assaults on those who can no longer stand the strange happenings within the party. Insulting almost all those who have left due to the party’s inability to address their grievances would only convince those yet to make up their minds that they are truly in the wrong place.”
The statement further faulted that “Oshiomhole appears to be in a hurry to justify his moniker as an ‘undertaker’ who has come to evacuate what is left of the once popular APC into oblivion as recently observed by the National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party.
“We advise the embattled chairman to get busy with the job of his office and minimise his divisive and hate-filled statements. As a former governor, Oshiomhole ought to be statesmanly in his utterances. As the Chairman of the ruling party, he ought to speak with decorum and caution, to market his party and its candidates to Nigerians and not try to whip political opponents into silence,” it further said.
We advise the APC National Chairman to stop his shameful dance on the graves of innocent Benue children, pregnant women and others slaughtered by armed herdsmen.”
The statement added that “Governor Ortom won’t let APC’s latter day media attacks distract his administration from providing good governace to the people as he has been doing.
“Though the Benue State Governor has left APC, he appreciates the leadership and members of the party for recognising and appropriately praising him for his laudable achievements. We already alerted Nigerians, particularly the people of Benue State that these attacks on Governor Ortom will surely come from enemies of the state.”

Benjamin Agesan, Makurdi