By G9ija
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has taken his support for Peter Obi a step further, saying he was willing to sacrifice his senatorial ambition for the Labour Party (LP) candidate to win Nigeria’s presidential election.
The election will hold this Saturday, 25 February.
Mr Obi, who has energised the Nigerian youths since he joined the race, is one of the three major candidates for the election. The others are Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a former Vice President of Nigeria Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“For me, it’s not even that I’m contesting an election. Yes, the form was bought for me by the people of Benue State. I’ve gone round; they have accepted that they will vote (for) me.
“But if I’m to sacrifice my senatorial ambition for Peter Obi to win, so shall it be,” Mr Ortom said on Monday while addressing the Igbo community in Benue State, according to a report by the Channels TV.
The governor, who is a member of the PDP, was probably reacting to the possibility of being sanctioned by the PDP national leadership for being a part of the internal rebellion against the party and its presidential candidate, Atiku.
After Atiku defeated Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and other aspirants to emerge as the PDP presidential candidate in May last year, Messrs Wike, Ortom, and three other governors came together to form the G5 which is opposed to northern Nigeria producing President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor.