Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, on Thursday, directed the reinstatement of political appointees who had resigned to contest elections but were not favoured by zoning.
The governor in a statement issued and made available to journalists in Makurdi by his Chief Press Secretary, Nathaniel Ikyur said that only those whose positions were not replaced will enjoy the privilege.
Some of the governor’s aides including commissioners had resigned their appointment to seek elective office since the end of September 2021 in line with the directive of the governor.
But with the zoning arrangements of the party coupled with the consensus options introduced by the state governor, many of the appointees had lost out
Speaking at a parley he had with all political appointees from the 14 local government areas of the state, Ortom said that “the gesture to reinstate the former aides who lost their bids for various elective political offices was to show my appreciation for their dedication in supporting and working for my administration since their appointment and supporting consensus arrangement in their various constituencies”.
The governor who used the occasion to clear the air on speculations about a rift between him and the Peoples Democratic National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, dismissed insinuations of any disagreement, saying those creating such false stories will be disappointed.
In his words, “I have no single problem with our national chairman, Senator Ayu, our leader, Senator David Mark, Senators Gabriel Suswam, Abba Moro, Orker Jev or any leader of the party. We are consulting with one another without rancour. So there is no truth whatsoever in such rumours.
“We are working together for the success of our party and there is nothing like division or rift whatsoever. There is nothing that will divide us.”
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