Ortom Defends G5’s 2023 PDP Rebellion as Atiku, Party Slam Motives

On Thursday, July 17, 2025, Dr. Samuel Ortom, former Governor of Benue State, explained on Arise TV why he and the G5 Governors’ Forum opposed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its 2023 presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, citing the party’s failure to uphold equity, fairness, and justice. Dr. Ortom, a leading G5 member, argued that after eight years of northern leadership under former President Muhammadu Buhari, the PDP’s decision to field Atiku, a northerner, violated the principle of rotating the presidency to the south. As chairman of the PDP’s zoning committee, he pushed for a southern candidate, but the National Executive Committee (NEC) opted for an open contest, leading to Atiku’s nomination. Ortom revealed the G5 supported Mr. Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, for the presidential ticket or running mate, but the party chose otherwise. Defending their support for opposition candidates like Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party and President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ortom emphasized that politics is driven by interests, not permanent alliances, and reaffirmed his commitment to a southern candidate in 2027.

In response, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, through his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, dismissed the G5 as “frustrated opportunists” seeking relevance, arguing their rebellion was driven by personal ambition rather than justice. Atiku noted that the zoning committee’s open contest recommendation, chaired by Ortom, was democratically endorsed by the NEC, and portrayed his candidacy as a unifying force across regions. Similarly, a PDP National Working Committee member, speaking anonymously, accused Ortom of self-interest, pointing out his initial support for Senator Iyorchia Ayu, a fellow Tiv from Benue, as PDP chairman, and questioned whether Ortom would back the PDP’s planned southern ticket in 2027. Meanwhile, Mr. Dele Momodu, a former PDP presidential aspirant and publisher of Ovation International, announced his resignation from the PDP on July 17, citing its hijacking by “anti-democratic forces.” In a letter to his ward chairman in Edo State, Momodu declared his immediate move to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), joining a wave of defections amid the PDP’s internal struggles.