Benue State has been in the news for the wrong reasons lately as marauding bands of purported herdsmen continued their rampage across different communities in the state maiming and killing and leaving tales of woe and destruction in their wake. The attacks described by many as genocide against the people of the Middle Belt has spread from Benue to her neighbours, Taraba, Nassarawa, Plateau, Adamawa, and recently, Sokoto States. 

The angst that arose from the inaction and apparent nonchalance of the Muhammadu Buhari led federal government was palpable as the people of the state in different fora voiced their displeasure with the APC controlled federal government. 

One of the fallouts of this was the recent defection of the state governor, Samuel Ortom, who, Wednesday, made a volte face on his decision not to dump his former party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). He declared for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when irate youths blocked his convoy while en route to meet with APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole in Abuja insisting that he renounced his membership of the APC. He predicates his decision on the wishes of his people. 

Ortom spoke to editor-in-chief of Kristina Reports, Godswill Jumbo, through his chief press secretary, Terver Akase, explaining why that all-important decision became imperative and how it would affect the political and economic fortunes of his people, amongst other issues. 

Two days ago, His Excellency, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State announced to Nigerians that he was leaving the APC for the PDP. Against the backdrop of incessant killings that have bedeviled the Middle Belt, especially Benue State where his people were being killed, slaughtered in their homes and their livelihoods destroyed, we would like to ask, how does this defection affect his people? 

Well, it will affect his people because the decision of his defection originated from his people, the majority of Benue people who have felt disappointed with the handling of the security situation in Benue by the federal government led by the APC. Though the people have repeatedly called on the governor to dump the APC and look for an alternative platform where the security of their lives and property can be guaranteed. So, the governor was making consultations until it became apparent to him two days ago when youths from the state blocked his way while en route to Abuja to attend another meeting with the national chairman of the party and told him to make that declaration there and then, that they would not let him be in APC.

So, when he saw the handwriting on the wall that if he didn’t make that decision the people would leave him, would abandon him; he decided to make it because he is a governor who listens to the people, who does what the people want.

So, the decision was a popular decision and the PDP has rebranded itself. The party has apologized to Nigerians that it would make corrections when given power again. We are giving the party that benefit of the doubt hoping that you know when they get power; you know the centre of Nigeria, the federal government is where everything happens. The federal government controls everything. It controls the police, the army, the navy, the DSS, and the air force, and all other paramilitary and security agencies. So, if the government wants to get things right, everything happens at the centre. That is why the people feel that in Benue, it is the federal government that has failed them. And we are hoping that if PDP returns to power next year it will make amends. It will give Nigerians what has been eluding them in the past couple of years.

Some people think that given the move by the National Assembly to address the issues surrounding state police; that amending the Constitution to make state police go live would have been a better solution to the problem than everybody trying to get a hold of the centre. Don’t you think that would have been the way to go?   

It’s another option on the table. We have supported the creation of state police. Some people have argued that where will states have the money to pay the police. But you know when we begin to practice full federalism in Nigeria we will begin to look inwards too. The states will realize that it is no longer uhuru that they will need to look inwards to raise money to do things. So, that dependency culture that has being in Nigeria since independence will be reviewed and states that seem now to be poor will become rich because their leaders will be forced to look outside the box and create opportunities that raise funds for them to take care of their security and other aspects of governance. So, I don’t think there should be any fear.

Anyway when Nigeria was created we didn’t have these mineral resources like we have now. We had them in the Niger Delta until the exploration began. Nigerians were still surviving. So, it’s because when oil came every Nigerian became lazy. We abandoned other resources; like in Benue here we have a lot of mineral resources. We have gold here. We have many other mineral resources that when tapped, when investors are brought in and they collaborate with the Benue State government and they tap the resources Benue State will become one of the richest states in West Africa. So, these things are possible. Now I don’t want people to be afraid that states will not be able to fund their police when they establish them. No one should be afraid of them. There may still be federal police but the states have to be allowed to operate their own police to curb some of these things that we are witnessing.

Some people are wondering that Governor Samuel Ortom was one of the people who benefitted from the political leverage of George Akume and that now that he is defecting to the PDP, will he be able to sail through without the support of his purported godfather? 

You know there are these misconceptions. When Governor Ortom came in as an aspirant of the APC and was given the nomination he wasn’t a nobody; he was a somebody and he came with a huge support base. We still appreciate the support of Senator George Akume. He pioneered the process that gave Governor Ortom the ticket. The Governor appreciates him. But to say that Governor Ortom, therefore, should not stand on his feet because some godfather made him governor that is to slap the people of Benue State in the face. There is nowhere you will have a child, when that child grows up and he is a mature person you allow the child some level of freedom for him to operate because the child will sooner than later get married and settle down with his wife. The earlier you allow your son to have some level of independence and be able to take decisions as an independent person the better for you even as a father. So, I think that people need to understand this thing. People need to appreciate that the governor’s independence is the independence of Benue people. He is the governor of the state not the governor of one senator. So, he must be allowed to operate as the governor of a state and that’s it. Because if you helped him to become governor that is good enough because God used you to help him but now he is governor and he is the governor of his people.

Will the Benue people vote for Buhari in the 2019 elections?

That is not for me to determine, that is for the Benue people to answer and they have already told Governor Ortom that they are highly disappointed with the performance of the federal government controlled by the APC. So, you should read the handwriting on the wall. I will not be the one to tell you whether Benue people will vote for Buhari or not. When the time for elections come the people will make their choices. And, of course, every voter in Nigeria has the right to determine who leads him. And I think that is the point we are making.