The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has said that the people of Benue State have rejected President Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2019 general elections.
In a Monday statement through his Special Adviser on Media and ICT, Mr Tahav Agerzua, Ortom said that Buhari’s rejection by Benue people had nothing to do with his Fulani origin as was being insinuated in some quarters.
He said that the people of the state have in the past voted overwhelmingly for Fulani men like Shehu Shagari in 1979 and 1983, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2007 and Buhari himself in 2015.
However, the governor noted that while Shagari and Yar’Adua reciprocated the support through vital appointments and project, Buhari had decided to ignore Benue in his appointment into key Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
“We have lived with the Fulani people for ages; we have nothing against them. Even the Fulani people know that we have nothing against them,” the statement read in part.
It added, “But from my findings, majority of Benue residents are opposed to the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC, because they have failed to register any positive federal presence in the state.
“Many people also feel that the APC-led federal government has failed to secure lives and property.’’
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