Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom says it will not be fair of anyone to be talking about the 2023 general elections when the country is currently insecure.
He stated this Tuesday while addressing State House correspondents shortly after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Recall that the Benue governor said on Saturday that he was attacked by 15 armed herdsmen on his farm at Tyo Mu, along Makurdi-Gboko road.
The attack, which he described as an assassination attempt, drew widespread condemnation across the country.
Addressing the reporters, Ortom emphasised the need for Nigerians to put aside all differences and cooperate to stem the tide of insecurity in the country.
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“I want to appeal to Nigerians. 2023, yes to a politician, is not far but it is still a long way.
“If we secure our country and everything is going fine, then we can talk about 2023. But the way things are going, if we don’t secure the country, there is no way we can be talking about 2023.
“For me, I want us as leaders of this country — we have taken oaths of office –let us abide by those things we have said and work together as a team. Leave politics aside; leave ethnicity aside, and secure the country Nigeria. We have no other country than the Nigeria we live in.”
The governor disclosed that the president adopted his recommendations on how to address rising insecurity in the north and Nigeria as a whole.
Also, he described the president’s order for non-state actors wielding AK-47 rifles to be shot on sight as a “welcome development”.
“I have been able to recommend some measures and most of them agree that nobody should be a sacred cow.
“If people are found wanting, they should be prosecuted by the police and I think this is good.
“The other time, he also gave an order for all those carrying AK-47, irrespective of where you come from, you should be shot on sight, and that is welcoming and it is the best thing to do in a situation like this.
“The order for the immigration and other security agencies to protect our borders, all these are commended. So, it’s not just enough to criticise the policies of the federal government or the president. When he does what is good, it is our responsibility to team up with him to ensure that that is done, because it is when we are peaceful and have security that we can talk about tomorrow,” Ortom said.