By Sam Tyav, Makurdi
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, strong backing has come for candidate of opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for Benue North West Senatorial District, Dr. (Mrs) Eunice Erdoo Ortom, as leaders, elders and stakeholders of the party insisted that she has the capacity to deliver effective representation.
Flaying what they see as deliberate smear campaign and coordinated misinformation circulated on social media targeted at Dr Ortom, the major stakeholders further described such campaign as “desperate propaganda of political jobbers and merchants of falsehood whose stock-in-trade is blackmail and distortion.”
In a statement jointly signed by Sen. Fred Orti, Dr. Laha Dzever, Hon. Charles Torbunde, Dr. Adzer Abya, Bar. Michael Gusa, Chief Godwin Uwua and Dr. Mark Achaku, among others, the stakeholders defended their support of the candidate.
The group said they had met and unanimously resolved that, “in the spirit of fairness, equity, justice and political balancing, the Zone B Senate seat for 2027 should be ceded to the Nongov axis of Guma Local Government Area of the state.”
According to the major stakeholders, it was after consultations that the decision was reached, stressing that “it was not influenced by any individual ambition, family interest or imposition as falsely portrayed by detractors. It was a collective and voluntary decision of the people and leadership of the PDP in Zone B.”
They added: “In furtherance of that resolution, stakeholders unanimously agreed that the immediate past Governor of Benue State, Chief Samuel Ortom, who courageously contested the 2023 senatorial election and remains one of the most influential political leaders of North Central Nigeria, should be accorded the right of first refusal for the 2027 Senate ticket.
“It is important to state unequivocally that Chief Ortom initially declined repeated calls and appeals by party faithful and stakeholders urging him to personally rejoin the senatorial race.
“His decision was informed by personal conviction and his desire to continue supporting the party and the people from a broader leadership position.
“However, we, stakeholders, elders, women leaders, youth groups and party loyalists from across the district passionately appealed that since Chief Ortom had chosen not to contest, he should graciously permit his wife, Dr. Mrs. Eunice Ortom, to answer the overwhelming call of the people to serve.
“That appeal was neither accidental nor manipulated. It was based on the proven capacity, competence, compassion and impeccable public record of Dr. Mrs. Eunice Ortom, whose years of selfless humanitarian service have earned her immense goodwill and widespread acceptance among the people of Benue State and beyond.”
The group noted that Dr. Ortom had distinguished herself through uncommon dedication to the welfare of women, children, internally displaced persons, widows, vulnerable families and the less privileged before and during her eight years as the state’s First Lady and even after she left office.
“Through the Eunice Spring of Life Foundation, she touched countless lives positively by championing humanitarian interventions, educational support, healthcare advocacy, women empowerment and social protection programmes across the state,” they disclosed.
Dr. Ortom’s interventions, as emphasized by the group, were never restricted by political affiliation, ethnic identity or religious considerations as she became a mother figure to many displaced and vulnerable people during some of the most difficult periods in the history of Benue State.
They argued that “it is therefore intellectually dishonest for anyone to suggest that Dr. Mrs. Ortom should be denied the opportunity to contest simply because she is married to Chief Samuel Ortom.
“Such arguments are not only illogical and discriminatory, but they also amount to a direct attack on the rights, individuality, capacity and independent identity of women in leadership.”
The major stakeholders further said that “Dr. Mrs. Ortom is a distinguished personality in her own right who has possessed her own credentials, track record, experience and public goodwill which qualify her for public office”, adding that those peddling the false narrative that “Chief Ortom and his wife are the same person” were merely afraid of the overwhelming acceptance and political strength of Dr. Ortom.
“Their smear campaign is borne out of fear, desperation and the realization that her candidacy enjoys genuine grassroots support across the senatorial district.
“The desperate attempt by some political opponents to insinuate that Dr. Mrs. Eunice Ortom should not enjoy the support of the people because of the false narrative that her husband did not perform well as Governor, is nothing but another failed propaganda strategy designed to diminish her towering profile and intimidate her growing popularity across Zone B.
“Those behind such campaigns are clearly uncomfortable with the overwhelming goodwill, credibility and acceptance which Dr. Mrs. Ortom enjoys among the people owing to her years of selfless humanitarian service and grassroots connection.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Chief Samuel Ortom remains one of the most transparent and people-oriented Governors Benue State has produced in recent history. Under his administration, labour unions were, for the first time in the history of the state, incorporated into the State Joint Account Allocation Committee to promote transparency and accountability in the management and appropriation of government funds.
“Despite severe economic challenges and the devastating impact of insecurity on the state’s economy, his administration paid 91 out of 96 months of workers’ salaries and pensions, in addition to the seven months owed by the Suswam administration.
“Governor Ortom also domesticated the Pensions Act in the state and his administration made contributions of nearly N10 billion as at May 2023.
“His government also executed numerous infrastructural projects cutting across Zones A, B and C, including road construction and rehabilitation projects, massive investments in primary healthcare facilities, and the execution of well over a thousand primary school projects aimed at improving learning conditions for Benue children.
“These achievements, among many others, remain visible and verifiable testimonies of purposeful leadership and commitment to the development of Benue State.
“The Ortom administration also acquired state-of-the-art equipment for the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, in addition to ensuring the commencement of the graduation of medical doctors from the university’s School of Health Sciences for the first time after the stagnation of its accreditation in 12 years. These and lots more defined the policy direction of the Ortom administration,” the stakeholders explained.
They argued that there was no point to overemphasize Chief Ortom’s proactive and sustained defense of Benue people against insecurity, particularly the mindless attacks on the people by armed Fulani herders, revealing that the enactment of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law by the Ortom administration in 2017 was a deliberate effort to check the incessant attacky on the Benue farming community.
“It is therefore dishonest and politically mischievous for anyone to attempt to rewrite history simply because they are threatened by the credibility and acceptability of Dr. Mrs. Eunice Ortom. The people of Zone B are politically conscious and cannot be deceived by sponsored falsehoods and propaganda.
“We wish to emphasize that no law, constitutional provision or democratic principle prohibits a qualified woman from contesting for office because of her marital relationship. To suggest otherwise is to promote dangerous prejudice and undermine the advancement of women in politics and governance,” they concluded.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Dr. Ortom.
