Arewa Youths Ask Ortom to Resign as PDP’s Zoning Committee Chair

Sunday Aborisade

The Arewa Youths Consultative Forum (AYCF), has asked Governor Samuel Orton of Benue State to  resign and hands off the chairmanship of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) zoning committee with immediate effect, because he has compromised.

National President of AYCF, Yerima Shettima, alleged that Ortom compromised and was bias without providing evidence.

Shettima alleged that Ortom accepted the sum of N200m on behalf of Benue State from Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, who is contesting the presidential election in 2023.

He further alleged that Ortom’s action clearly put the North at a disadvantage as far as zoning was concerned in the PDP.

Shettima called on the PDP chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, to come clean of allegations of harbouring a hidden agenda in support of Ortom’s actions and relieve him of the zoning task assigned to him or else would tagged a collaborator.

In a press statement in Abuja yesterday, Shettima also alleged that Wike clearly compromised the governor during his visit to Ortom, wherein he donated the sum of N200m after declaring his intention to vie for the presidency and tacitly got the endorsement of Ortom.

He said, “Benue State has faced security challenges over the  years without Wike showing concern. However, such gift coming at a time, when the issue of zoning, has been left to Ortom and others to decide, makes it very delicate and totally unacceptable.

“For the records, we have canvassed that both the APC and the PDP either zone the presidency to the North or throw it open. Given the person of Ortom, who has always kicked against anything North and does not see himself as one from the region, aside his vast attacks on the Hausa Fulanis of the North, makes him totally unfit for the zoning committee chairman of the PDP.

“That the North has only spent two and half years out of the 16 years PDP was in power, lays the moral justification for the PDP to zone its presidency to the north or at best open the race. To now have Governor Ortom fraternising with Wike in such manner leaves much to be desired of the PDP and its chieftains,” Shettima stated.