The governor of Benue State, who has been going back and forth in decision to dump the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, on Wednesday allegedly staged anti-party demonstration to fake his absence at the party’s reconciliation meeting in Abuja.
On July 19, Mr Ortom had meeting with the APC leadership in Abuja and affirmed his loyalty to the party after the meeting.
But hours after the July 19 meeting, Mr Ortom declared that he was leaving the APC for good.
“I can assure you and the good people of Benue that there is no going back on my decision to exit from the APC,” he told his visitors.
“At the appropriate time in the next few weeks, I would make my next move public,” members of OnTiv Professionals Association at Benue Governor’s Lodge, Abuja on Friday.
But DAILY NIGERIAN gathered from informed sources the Special Service office in the Government House hired a battalion of youths on the orders of the governor who was “bent on creating fake excuses to leave APC” to stage the fake protest.
The youths, numbering hundreds, blocked the road to Government House, Makurdi, chanting “Ortom don’t go back to APC,” “We don’t have land to donate for ranching,” “APC is Miyetti party,” Our farms are not for cows,” You must leave APC,” Ortom is our party, ” and “2019: On Ortom we stand.”
Their spokesmen, Terrence Kuanum, and Pastor Dave Ogbole adviced the Governor not to make the trip for further discussions with the APC leadership on his membership of the party but to rather look for an alternative platform.
They threatened that if he attended the meeting they would vote him out in 2019.
To underscore their “anger” they ordered that the APC flag should be removed from the Governor’s official car immediately and the Governor’s driver complied.
Mrr Ortom who was already on his way to Abuja for the meeting with the APC leaders pleaded with the youths to allow him attend the meeting assuring that their interest would be protected.
The youths however “refused”, insisting that the only option available to him was for the governor to make a u-turn.
The governor then turned back with his entourage.
