National chairman of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has said the Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom would not abandon the ruling party for any other political platform.
The party chairman made the declaration after a meeting with the Benue State governor at the party national secretariat in Abuja.
Governor Ortom at a public function on Monday in Makurdi gave indication that he would dump the ruling party ahead of 2019 general elections as he said certain chieftains of the APC in Benue have given him what he described as red card.
Findings revealed that Comrade Oshiomhole in a swift trouble shooting move met with former Benue State governor, George Akume, who is believed to be the arrow head of the opposition group in the Benue State chapter of the party.
Comrade Oshiomhole said he was determined to restore peace in the Benue State chapter of APC, dismissing insinuation that Governor Ortom was defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) as misplaced.
He said: “Sen. Akume is a very respected leader of the party, a former governor and a current Senator, he will recognise the need for peace and we have what it takes to make peace.
“In Benue, we are going for a win, win solution. Governor Ortom is not going anywhere,he is a very prominent member of our party, and we appreciate his leadership in Benue.
“We will do everything possible to help those who have issues to have those issues resolved.
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that is hovering round must know that it is only people without honour that will vomit in the morning and convert it to launch in the afternoon.
“People like Ortom can’t leave PDP three and half years ago with his eyes open and two three years later because of some tension, is thinking of returning.
“He is a man of honour and he knows that once you move one step forward, you will want to take the second step to consolidate the first step. That’s the way to go.
“Be assured that the PDP can go and do whatever they want to do, but it won’t change the situation the minds of those who are convinced in building the future.
“it will not be without contestation, it will be based on the understanding that we can have contestations, but we have the qualities required to resolve issues in a win-win manner.
“And in Benue, those will be deployed and I am sure that Governor Ortom and Senator Akume will be happy, much more importantly the great people of Benue will be happy not just our party members because they want to consolidate what works and not to return to a broken vehicle. “
Governor Ortom in his response said he was convinced that the national leadership of the party was genuinely convinced and expressed the confidence that it would rein in those causing disaffection in the State chapter.
” It was the Benue APC that gave me a red card not the national APC and I took that it was enough to make myself available out of the pitch, but the leadership of the party told me that the decision of the party leadership at the national level is superior to that of any individual or group of people and I think that is good enough.
“They have spoken to him, they have spoken to me and the state stakeholders are going to be spoken to and that’s where I belong.
“We have not concluded the matter, it is an ongoing process because I have always stood for peace and I always want peace to prevail.
I appreciate the intervention and I hope that we would be able to resolve the matter of differences and this is the funny thing about politics.
I am here in APC, a member of APC, I am still flying the flag of APC and I only said I was giving red card and that has been corrected by the national secretariat. I’m so excited