… describes report of ‘new political alliance’ as false, baseless and inconsistent
By Dan Ekwesor
Former Benue State Governor, Chief Samuel Ortom, has restated his commitment to a southern presidency in 2027, declaring that his position on power rotation in Nigeria remains unchanged since the 2023 general elections.
In a press statement issued on Monday, August 10, 2026, and signed by his Media Assistant, Zege Paul, Ortom described as “false, baseless and inconsistent” a report by a group known as the International Centre for Transparency Nigeria (ICTN) alleging that he was working to support former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for the 2027 presidential election.
According to the statement, Ortom’s political stance continues to align with the principle that guided the G-5 Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ahead of the 2023 polls. The G-5, which included Ortom and current FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, had insisted that after eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, the presidency should move to the South in the interest of equity, fairness and national cohesion.
“Nigerians will recall that in the build-up to the 2023 general elections, Chief Ortom and four other Governors of the PDP… took a principled stand that after eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, justice, fairness and national cohesion demanded that the presidency should rotate to the southern part of the country,” the statement read.
Ortom stressed that the G-5 position “was never driven by personal animosity against any individual” but by the conviction that in a diverse federation like Nigeria, rotation of power remains “an important instrument for promoting inclusion, stability and national unity.”
The former governor said he stood by that conviction in 2023 “despite the enormous political pressure and consequences that came with it,” and that his position “has not changed in 2026 and will not suddenly change because some faceless group has manufactured a political story.”
“For the avoidance of doubt, Chief Samuel Ortom believes that the presidency should remain in the South in 2027. He therefore has no reason whatsoever to support Alhaji Atiku Abubakar or any other northern candidate for President in 2027,” the statement added.
Ortom further recalled that in 2024, while speaking in Port Harcourt, he publicly declared support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027. He said that endorsement still stands, noting his conviction that “the President is the right man for the job, as he has started well and should be supported to complete his major reforms in the country’s economy and overall development.”
The statement also reaffirmed Ortom’s alignment with Wike, describing the FCT Minister as the National Leader of the PDP.
“Chief Ortom also wishes to make it abundantly clear that he remains firmly aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, with whom he and the other members of the G-5 stood together in defence of equity and justice in 2023,” it said.
It dismissed speculation of a rift or a new alliance with Atiku as a narrative that “collapses under the weight of its own contradictions.”
On Benue politics, Ortom said meetings of prominent Benue sons are part of “ongoing consultations and engagements aimed at building a broad strategic alliance… for the greater good of the state.”
He acknowledged Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, as the leader of Benue politics “whose leadership transcends political party lines,” and called for collective support for Akume to succeed in his national assignment — the first time a Benue indigene is occupying the SGF office.
Ortom also addressed the 2027 Benue governorship race, stating categorically that Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN, “remains the duly nominated Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State for the 2027 election.”
He expressed confidence that Aondoakaa has the “experience, competence, character and capacity” to harness resources accruing to the state following fuel subsidy removal to address development challenges.
The statement urged the public to disregard the ICTN report, describing it as “another attempt by desperate political elements to manufacture divisions and create political relationships where none exist.”
“Chief Ortom remains committed to the principles of equity, justice and fairness which informed the historic position of the G-5 Governors, and no amount of political fabrication will rewrite that record,” the statement concluded.
