A former governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has disclosed how he and a group of other governors fought for the Minister of the FCT to be made the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the last general election.
Ortom stated this on Thursday while fielding questions on Arise Television’s Morning Show programme.
DAILY POST reports that the five governors were Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, Nyesom Wike of Rivers, and Ortom of Benue.
The ex-governor also disclosed that the governors later fought for Wike to be made the running mate of the PDP presidential candidate, Vice President Atiku, after he lost in the party primary.
According to Ortom, their effort was thwarted by some elements in the PDP.
He said, “I want to let you know that it is agreed for us as politicians, you are not one, but for us as politicians, we have always said that the interest, politics the way it runs, whether you accept it or not, the truth is that there is this greatest philosopher who said that politics is all about interests, no permanent enemy, no permanent friend.
And everyone who is in politics is seeking about the interests of his community, is seeking about the interests of his people, is seeking about the interests of himself. Politics is selfish, and so where your interest is not protected, you find something else.
Yes, Wike is my friend. We worked together until today and tomorrow. He still remains my friend. And if his interest was protected because we fought for him to be the candidate of the PDP in Nigeria, unfortunately, he did not meet it.
We thought that he should be the running mate, and people thwarted it. And I tell you, I was in the committee, a 20 man committee, that was made to design a running mate for the presidential candidate based on the candidate. And 16 of us accepted that it should be Wike, but somehow, the candidate and those that were in the leadership of the party decided to work against it.
And so I tell you, that is also about interest. But originally, what we wanted was that it should be a southern candidate.”