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The political camp loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has reportedly thrown its weight behind former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, for the position of National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Sources close to the group disclosed that Wike’s allies have reached a decision to zone the chairmanship to the North Central region, with Ortom emerging as their preferred candidate.
According to the group, the decision was based on “fairness and equity,” following the incomplete tenure of former PDP chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, who also hails from Benue State.
A source said the camp argued that, “since Ayu did not finish his tenure, it is only right that the North Central retains the slot until it completes its full term.”
The development comes amid Wike’s sharp criticism of the current PDP governors’ push for a consensus arrangement, which he described as undemocratic and potentially harmful to the party’s survival.
“The way these present governors are doing, they will bury this party,” Wike said during his recent media chat. “Are you telling me that because I’m not a governor, you’ll hold a PDP stakeholders’ meeting and exclude me, and then expect the party to survive?”
Wike, who has been a dominant voice within the opposition party, also dismissed insinuations that his perceived closeness to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was affecting his commitment to the PDP.
“All these talks about APC are rubbish. You mean two or three people, because they are governors and receive large allocations, will decide for all of us? Follow who?” he queried.
Political observers say the endorsement of Ortom by Wike’s camp signals a major shift in the unfolding power play within the PDP as the party prepares for its next national convention.
The group also pointed to the ruling APC’s approach as justification for their position, recalling that the party replaced its former chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, from the North Central, with another leader from the same zone, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, despite a brief interim leadership by a former Kano governor.
The endorsement of Ortom, a close ally turned critic of Wike in the past, suggests a potential reconciliation between the two politicians as they unite around a common political cause.
