- The governor of Benue, Samuel Ortom, has alleged that the APC does not have the interest of the state in mind
- Ortom further claimed on Monday, September 17, that the herders group is working on a plot to invade the state
- He also said that his petitions to the relevant authorities to prevent the alleged invasions of the group were ignored
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue on Monday, September 17, said he left the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) because the party was unable to arrest leaders of Miyeitti Allah, stressing that the APC could not protect the interest of the people of the state, Punch reports.
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A statement issued by, Tahav Agerzua, Ortom's special adviser on media and information and communications technology, said that the governor in a meeting with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)'s stakeholders in Oju and Obi local government areas of the state.
Agerzua stated that Ortom “came to the conclusion after his cries for the arrest and prosecution of leaders of various Fulani groups, including Miyetti Allah, who threatened to invade the state and carried out the threat, fell on deaf ears.”
The governor explained that after he signed the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Bill into law in May 2017, heads of the herders group spoke at several press conferences where they pledged to mobilise their members throughout the world to invade the state.
Ortom stated that his petitions to the relevant authorities to preempt the invasion were ignored just as his request for the arrest of those who claimed responsibility for the subsequent attacks and killings.
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He said: “Leaders of the APC at the national level with their collaborators in the state have made him a target for elimination on account of the Ranches Law which the people have insisted should not be repealed.”
Meanwhile, NAIJ.com reported that Ortom on Monday, July 16, disclosed that he had been sent out of his the APC and is currently exploring a new option to actualise his future ambition.
In a statement sent to NAIJ.com and signed by Terver Akase, chief press secretary to the governor, Ortom stated this at the Benue Peoples House, Makurdi while swearing in his special adviser on local government and chieftaincy affairs, Jerome Torshimbe.
Benue Elders Speak on Herdsmen Attacks | NAIJ.com TV
Source: Naija.ng