Benue 2019: Ortom opens up on stopping to SDP guber aspirants from buying forms

The Benue State government has reacted to reports that Governor Samuel Ortom has blocked the sale of forms to governorship aspirants on the platform of the Social Democratic Party, SDP.

The state said the report, published by a national daily was misleading and baseless and should be discarded.

Terver Akase, Chief Press Secretary to the governor, in a statement issued on Firday said Ortom is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, not SDP and as such, could therefore not have stopped anyone in the opposition party from purchasing nomination forms.

According to him, “Even in PDP, the Governor has not prevented other aspirants from buying nomination forms, so why would he interfere with the process of another political party?

“The said newspaper report is apparently sponsored, reckless and highly unprofessional. Such a sweeping statement ought to have been supported with evidence.

“We also found ridiculous, the claim in the report that Governor Ortom has secretly purchased his PDP nomination form. Why would a sitting Governor go to pick his party’s nomination form in secret? Political parties do not sell their nomination forms in secret.

“We urge members of the public to disregard the said report in its entirety.”