Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has declared that he has no regrets for opposing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar during the 2023 presidential election, despite both men being members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the time.
Ortom made the statement during an interview on Channels TV on Monday, July 21, defending his decision to support a southern presidential candidate over Atiku, who hails from the northern region.
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G5 Coalition: Ortom was a member of the G5—a group of five PDP governors who opposed Atiku’s candidacy and supported Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the election.
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Justification for His Decision:
“I did not hide it. I have no regret.
Which betrayal? Pursuing my interest and the interest of my people?
Politics is a game of interest, and if I have somebody working against my interest and the interest of my people, I have to fight back,” Ortom said. -
Equity and Zoning: Ortom said his resistance was rooted in the call for equity, fairness, and justice. He criticized the idea of a northerner succeeding another northerner in power:
“How can you explain to me that a northerner, Muhammadu Buhari, was president for eight years, and then another northerner, Atiku, would take over?
Our democracy has not gotten to that level.” -
Southern Presidency Support:
Ortom affirmed his commitment to the unwritten rotational agreement between North and South in Nigeria’s political system:“We believed in a southern presidency and not a northern presidency. That was why some of us supported a southern presidential aspirant.”
Atiku Abubakar was the PDP’s standard bearer in the 2023 election, but he faced internal opposition from within the party, especially from members of the G5 governors, who argued that it was unjust for another northerner to lead after President Buhari’s two terms.
Their dissent eventually led to Atiku’s loss in key regions, contributing to Bola Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 general elections.
