A former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has dismissed speculations linking him to a defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stating emphatically that he has no intentions of joining the African Democratic Congress (ADC) or any other coalition.
Ortom made the declaration during a live appearance on Politics Today, a current affairs programme on Channels Television, on Monday.
“People are free to join any coalition that they so wish, but for me, and the people that I lead, we remain in PDP,” Ortom stated firmly. “I’m the leader of PDP in Benue State and a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT); I am not joining any coalition. We have no business with that.”
Ortom, who governed Benue between 2015 and 2023, said while political realignments are normal, he believes the ADC-led coalition lacks the capacity to withstand Nigeria’s turbulent political terrain. He added that even if the coalition survives its internal and legal challenges, it is unlikely to pose a serious threat to the existing political structures.
“I don’t believe that the ADC-led movement can stand the pressure,” Ortom said. “They will still face defeat eventually.”