Fresh Trouble For Governor Samuel Ortom

<p><em>Fresh Trouble For Governor<&sol;em><br &sol;>&NewLine;<strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng&sol;">OpenLife Nigeria<&sol;a><&sol;strong> reports that there is fresh trouble for Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State&period; He has&comma; over the years been embroiled in a tangle with the federal government on security matters&period; But this time&comma; away from Miyeti Allah and herdsmen&comma; he is enmeshed in <strong>fresh<&sol;strong> trouble within his party&comma; the Peoples Democratic Party&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;The fresh trouble with the governor began on Thursday night when he tried to sell the candidacy of a former Senate President&comma; Iyorcha Ayu&comma; to northern stakeholders as a consensus candidate for the party’s national chairmanship position which the Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi-led zoning committee had zoned to the north&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Reports have it that the Ugwuanyi zoning committee’s outcome had ignited the interest of former Senate President&comma; Senator David Mark for the national chairmanship position&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;David Mark’s interest is also said to have been well received across the length and breadth of PDP especially in the circle of critical stakeholders&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;A <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;thisdaylive&period;com&sol;">House of Representatives<&sol;a> member who spoke with OpenLife Sunday morning sees Governor Ortom’s move as sabotage&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;The Reps member who hails from Benue State but would not want to be publicly quoted maintained that Governor Ortom is set to play the spoiler’s role against Benue’s interest&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;He queried the rationale behind Governor Ortom’s soliciting for Iyorcha Ayu on the grounds that &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Within the Benue PDP&comma; the Tiv has been producing the governors including the Governor Samuel Ortom himself&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Therefore&comma; if Benue State is being considered for the position of national chairmanship of PDP&comma; it is only natural that since the Tiv already has the governorship slot&comma; Idoma should pick the chairmanship&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;And we are all supporting David Mark who everyone knows has what it takes to deliver the 2023 presidency to PDP&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;So&comma; we don’t understand the game Governor Samuel Ortom is playing by going to Abuja to sell the candidature of Iyorcha Ayu&comma; a Tiv&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;It is ridiculous&comma; to say the least&period; But I can assure you that Governor Ortom’s<br &sol;>&NewLine;Problems may have just begun&comma;” the lawmaker asserted&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;At the moment&comma; OpenLife gathers that Senator David Mark and a former Governor of Jigawa State&comma; Alhaji Sule Lamido are the front-runners in the race for the PDD chairman&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Lamido is believed to be backed by the loyalists of former President Olusegun Obasanjo&comma; while Mark is said to be supported by the loyalists of former Military President&comma; Gen&period; Ibrahim Babangida &lpar;rtd&rpar;&semi; a former National Security Adviser &lpar;NSA&rpar;&comma; Gen&period; Aliyu Gusau&comma; and some other northern elders&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;