ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has withdrawn his support for Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP).
This comes after Ortom accused Atiku of belittling him as Governor and working against the interest of the people of Benue.
It is speculated that the Benue State Governor is angry over Atiku’s comments on the recent killings by suspected herdsmen in his state.
The PDP presidential candidate appeared to have justified the recent killings in Benue State by Fulani herders when he said that the condemnable acts were due to “sustained clashes between farmers and herders.”
His comments came at a time when Benue State’s elder statesmen, the Minda Leaders of Thought, announced their withdrawal of support for Atiku.
They accused him of hate speech and profiling of Benue people.
Governor Ortom, on his part, accused Atiku of working with Miyetti Allah, a herdsmen group known for carrying out outrageous killings.
Ortom said: “It was not correct for a presidential candidate who is seeking to rule the people to say that kind of thing.
“It was very wrong. And it would appear that he doesn’t even reference me and consider me to be a Governor of my state.”