The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said on Thursday the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, is not guilty of stirring hatred among Nigerians contrary to claim by the Presidency.
The governor had in an interview with Channels Television declared as unconstitutional President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to approve the review of 368 grazing reserves in 25 states in the country.
He also promised to drag the President to court if he pressed ahead with the planned review of the grazing reserves.
The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Garba Shehu, in a statement issued on Wednesday night, criticized the governor for making divisive remarks about a particular ethnic group in the country.
The statement read: “The PDP recalls how the Buhari Presidency has been planting seeds of discord in the country with hate language, divisive tendencies and unconcealed nepotism, to the extent that our nation has become widely divided along all fault lines.
“Nigerians have not forgotten how President Buhari, ahead of the 2011 general elections declared that ‘if what happened in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog, and the baboon would all be soaked in blood.’
“Moreover, Nigerians can recall how Mr. President tagged those whom he believed did not vote for him; how he described citizens as ‘dot in a circle,’ as well as the hate language that attracted sanctions by Twitter.
It is rather alarming that instead of taking steps to address the killings in Benue State as well as the worsening insecurity, carnages, banditry, terrorism and imminent humanitarian crisis in the country, the Buhari Presidency is thinking of Rwandan Genocide while exposing its deep-seated detestation for Governor Ortom.
Governor Ortom is a highly principled and forthright leader, who is loved not only in Benue, but also across the nation. The PDP urges Nigerians to hold the Buhari Presidency responsible should any harm come to him or his family members.
“As a party, the PDP demands that the Buhari Presidency should come clean on its handling of insecurity in the country. This is particularly
“It is against the backdrop of its manifest failure to battle and rout out terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and marauders that have taken over our highways, forests, pillaging communities and killing Nigerians on daily basis.
“Under President Buhari’s lethargic regime, bandits and terrorists have become so emboldened that they now attack military formations, including the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) where they killed and kidnapped officers for ransom.
The PDP calls on President Buhari to rein in his aides, wake up from his slumber and decisively address the worsening insecurity in the country under his watch.”
