Sell your agenda, not why I left ruling party, Ortom tells Lawani

APC eroded 19 years democratic gains, says Fayose
1,100 members defect to PDP in Edo State

A former Benue State Deputy Governor and senatorial aspirant, Steven Lawani, has been urged to sell his qualifications and agenda rather than dwell on why Governor Samuel Ortom left the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Adviser to Governor Samuel Ortom on Media and Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Tahav Agerzua, gave the charge in a statement yesterday while reacting to an interview Lawani granted in one of the national dailies.

His words: “Of course, by bashing Ortom, he (Lawani) hopes to impress the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state hoping that he would be given the platform to run on a platter of gold.

“Otherwise, what Lawani ought to do at the moment is to seek to impress his constituents on how he discharged the eight-year mandate they gave him to their benefit. He should also be listing his legislative agenda rather than casting aspersions on Governor Ortom.”

Agerzua maintained that the statement credited to Lawani about why Governor Ortom defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has exposed him (Lawani) to ridicule as someone bending backwards to curry favours from the leadership of the APC.

He reminded Lawani of how he had showered praises on Ortom at different times regarding his (Ortom’s) performance in office.

In another development, Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, yesterday said God will intervene in the country’s leadership, saying the nation was on the precipice and could disintegrate.

He blamed the situation on the APC, adding that since the party came to power in 2015, it has eroded the democratic gains made since the democratic dispensation in 1999.

Fayose stated this in Ado-Ekiti during a meeting with PDP aspirants for the House of Representatives and state House of Assembly elections.

He also expressed displeasure at the level of desperation, intimidation and harassment being meted out to the opposition by the APC.

Meanwhile, the Edo State chapter of the PDP at the weekend received no fewer than 1,100 members of the APC in Etsako Central Local Council of the state.

State Chairman of the PDP, Dan Orbih, who addressed the defectors during a rally at Oghomere Ekperi in the council area, said it was an uncommon honour for the party to welcome over 1,100 members and leaders of the ruling party in the area.