A former Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom has vowed never to support a northern candidate in the 2027 presidential election.
Ortom said he was willing to give his backing to a southern candidate from his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, or any other political party but won’t support anyone from the North.
He said the gentleman agreement of eight-year tenure for each of the regions should not be broken.
The former governor who spoke in an interview with journalists, also called for support for the Tinubu administration.
“In the land of the blind, a man with one eye is the king. So we currently have a president, and I think in the midst of the challenges we have in our country, he’s doing his best,” he said.
“We can support him, he listens to even common people like us. If I seek appointment with him, he’s ready to listen to me. And I’ve said certain things, we have a lot of reforms. Everybody here knows that we need reforms to rebrand this country, to make this country work like the issue of fuel subsidy, I’ve said it, the issue of tax reforms. I have said it and several things.
“And based on the kind of experience he has, he has brought things to bear on this country. Let us continue to pray. If there is another person who sees that he has capacity more than the current president, let him come and we will evaluate the person and check if he’s the right person to displace.
“This is not about party and all that. It is in the uncommon good.”
Ortom added, “The unwritten agreement that the North will do eight years, the south will do eight years, so today, as I’m talking to you, I believe in southern presidency.
“Let’s say my party wants to produce a president, let them produce someone from the south. I did it in 2023, because I said that it’s better for me to lose my senatorial election than to allow a northerner to be president.
“It was wrong, because we must work together in unity, in diversity and the common thing, we have agreed north eight years South eight years.
“The South have not completed eight years. So maybe South produce the next president in 2027 if it is within my party, well, if I have a credible person who have the capacity to deliver and to add value and make things work for our country,
we’ll support the person, but if not whoever, from any other party, not Just APC, but from any other party, who produces a candidate in the south, we should support that candidate. Me, I’m not supporting any candidate from the North.”
