A key member of the G5 governors, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, has thrown his weight behind former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s endorsement of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, saying the former Anambra State governor will make a true President for the country.
Commenting on Obasanjo‘s New Year message in which he publicly endorsed Obi’s presidential bid on Tuesday, Ortom said if he were not a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he would have personally led Obi’s campaign team around the country.
In a statement issued in Makurdi on his behalf by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Terver Akase, Ortom said he had recommended Obi to Nigerians “as the man who has the capacity to effectively tackle the economic, security and other challenges facing the country.
“The Governor is convinced that Obi possesses the qualities of a leader who will be a true President of this country by guaranteeing justice, equity and fairness for all Nigerians,” the statement said.
“The governor stresses that for some years, the country has been tottering on the verge of collapse, owing to leadership failure and its attendant consequences of poverty, heightened insecurity with banditry, kidnappings and other acts of terrorism threatening the very foundations of the nation.
“He says the President that Nigeria needs at this challenging time in the country’s history is one who understands the urgent need to unite the people and speedily initiate policies and actions to redirect the ship of the nation on the path of growth and development, and emphasizes that Peter Obi has all such qualities.
“Governor Ortom lauds Chief Obasanjo for once again demonstrating objectivity, truth and patriotism as a statesman whose views on national issues must be taken seriously.”