Wike commends Ortom for defending Benue against herdsmen invasion

Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike of Rivers State has commended his Benue State counterpart, Governor Samuel Ortom, for his resilience at standing firmly to defend the state against the invasion herdsmen.

Governor Wike who gave the commendation in Makurdi, Benue State capital, on Tuesday, also dismissed the rumours that Ortom was leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Wike, speaking during the commissioning of some of the road projects constructed by Governor Ortom in Makurdi and Guma Local Government Areas of the state, maintained that nothing depicted failure of governance than the inability of any government saddled with the responsibility of protecting life and property to do so.

The Rivers State governor said that he was not surprised that Governor Ortom was fulfilling his pledge to provide dividends of democracy like the 41-kilometre road linking Makurdi and Guma LGAs, to the people of Benue State despite efforts by terrorist plot to destabilise the state.

“We must fight against injustice in the country. Ortom is not one of those governors who will shy away from standing for the truth. Ortom, stood firm when his people were being killed. The major cardinal of governance is the protection of life and property. If you cannot protect the life of your people and property, governance is zero,” Wike posited.

Governor Wike noted that because Ortom stood firm to speak against abandonment of his people by the Federal Government, he was bullied and intimidated by his former party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.

He asked: “Today, in this country there is total insecurity and then people are telling you Ortom is moving. To where he nearly died? God brought him out of the wilderness. When he was longing, seeking for shelter and water to drink and God provided him with a platform. And after he had suffered and brought his people back from the wilderness, then some people are coming to say he is coming backing. Coming back to where?”

Governor Wike described Ortom as a man of character who had passed through difficulties in his political career in a bid to defend and protect his people, which is the essence of governance.

“I knew what happened, and you stood firm to show that this is the type of leadership we need in this country and that is why your people can come back today to start rebuilding where the terrorists came to destroy. My coming here to support you is not only because we are friends, but because I cannot stand injustice.

“Whether anybody likes it or not, I will continue in my life to fight injustice because nobody is a third class citizen of this county. All of us have equal rights in this country, so let nobody be deceived that there are people who are born to be first-class and there are people who were born to be third-class,” he submitted.

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Responding Governor Ortom explained at a very critical moment in Benue history, Governor Wike demonstrated friendship by speaking out against the neglect of the State and donated N200 million to support internally displaced persons.

“When we were attacked by terrorist herdsmen and militia groups coming to invade our land and to take over in the name of cattle rearing, and we saw it and stood up against it. Governor Wike was with us. He spoke out when others shied away from speaking the truth and speaking against the injustice that was being meted out against us. Governor Wike stood against the injustice,” Orton reiterated.

“When eventually we have IDPS and were crying every day, looking for food to give them, looking for shelter, looking for medication and other needs, Governor Wike stood up. He could have sent someone, but he came here, in Benue State and donated the sum of N200 million. For him to spare N200 million to support IDPS in Benue state in distress, it a thing we will never forget,” Orton disclosed.

The governor said all those who shared in the same aspiration of fighting against injustice; fighting for equity, transparency and fairness must come together to save the country.

“There is a need for Nigerians to sit together and look at where we are and see what can be done to correct the imbalance that we have today in our economy, in our security and political. Something is wrong. There is no doubt about that and we must find a way of correcting that,” Orton proposed.

Governor Ortom lauded Wike for coming to his rescue when he was in distress in the APC. He explained that the Rivers State governor stood by him and persuaded the stakeholders in Benue PDP to accommodate him.

“When I was in distress in my former political party, I did not what to do and I went to him he stood with me and rose up and spoke to the stakeholders to say look this young man must not be abandoned because he stood for his people. Wike came here himself with leaders of PDP, discussed with stakeholders of the party in Benue State and brought me into the PDP and today I am a governor,” he added.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Wike commends Ortom for defending Benue against herdsmen invasion