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Why Atiku Is Angry With Me, Ortom Explains
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the former vice president and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), according to former governor of Benue state Samuel Ortom, is upset with him over a number of things, including his membership in the G-5 Integrity Group, his insistence on a southern president, and the implementation of the grazing law in Benue state.
The former governor responded to a recent statement attributed to a Special Assistant on Public Communication to the PDP presidential candidate, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, who allegedly lambasted members of the G-5 group for working against the victory of the PDP Presidential candidate in the election, in a statement released on Wednesday in Makurdi by his media assistant, Terver Akase.
In the statement, Mr. Shaibu had alleged that the G-5 governors were only seeking relevance, appointments, and protection from prosecution stressing that the decision of the G-5 governors not to support Atiku had nothing to do with patriotism.
Debunking the claim, Mr. Akase said: “We read a statement credited to the former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, claiming that the immediate past Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom and his colleagues in the G-5 worked against him during the last election but have ongoing corruption cases at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and are being protected by President Bola Tinubu.
“We are not sure that the Special Assistant on Public Communication to the PDP presidential candidate got his consent before making the statement; because if he did, he would have refrained from blaming the G-5 for his loss at the polls.
“Alhaji Atiku Abubakar ought to be worried more that he has gone into history as the first presidential candidate of a leading political party to be rejected by key stakeholders including five sitting Governors and many other members of his party.
“The question that should bother him is, why did the G-5 and other members of the Integrity Group reject his candidacy? The group stood for justice, equity and fairness that the 2023 presidency must go to the southern part of the country and Nigerians saw the indisputable facts contained in the position of the Integrity Group and voted for a presidential candidate from the south.
“Atiku is angry because Governor Ortom and his colleagues in the G-5 refused to be used by him as ‘Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs)’ to circumvent and thwart the resolve of Nigerians to produce a President from the southern region.
“Another reason for Atiku’s attack on Chief Ortom is the former Benue State Governor’s boldness to speak truth to his face and rebuke him for making unstatesmanlike comments regarding the killing of Benue people by Fulani herdsmen. Atiku is on record to have expressed bitterness towards Ortom for daring to enact a law to prohibit open grazing of livestock in the state.
“The former Vice President’s diatribe against Chief Ortom can therefore be understood as the manifestation of frustration for losing the 2023 election. His failure to humble himself and unite the PDP, opting to remain haughty even when the signals were clear that he was heading for defeat summarized his performance in the last election.”
“Atiku lacks the moral ground to accuse anyone else of corruption. The words of his erstwhile principal, the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo have remained indelible and incontrovertible.”
The statement referred to the book, ‘My Watch’ by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on pages 191-192 to buttress ex-Governor Ortom’s perception of the former Vice President.
According to Akase, “the role of anti-graft agencies is to investigate allegations of corruption. Whenever they invite someone, such a person has to honour the invitation. As a man who believes in the rule of law, Chief Ortom willingly visited EFCC when the Commission sought clarifications on the actions of his administration.
“We urge Nigerians to disregard the allegation by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar against the former Benue State Governor as it is unfounded and tantamount to cheap blackmail.”
For many months, Nigeria’s most notorious terrorist mastermind, Turji Bello and several others of his kind have defied the deadline given by the service chiefs including the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Christopher Musa and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Olufemi Oluyede to neutralise or capture them in the bid to bring their reigns of bloodshed and destruction of lives and property to an end.
Amid what seemed like a spectacular failure by the Nigerian Service Chiefs and the National Security Adviser (NSA) to achieve these targets of neutralising Bello, the civil society organization, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has asked the Service Chiefs including the CDS, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the NSA to acknowledge publicly that they have collectively disappointed Nigeria by not neutralising or arresting Bello and other notorious terrorists and then bow out of their juicy offices since the wages of failure to actualise a mandate is an honourable exit.
The HURIWA’s position was contained in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko
The HURIWA also expressed shock and consternation that the Nigerian leader who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu jetted off to France, Europe, at a time when terrorists in their hundreds are staging religious ceremonies to commemorate the end of the year 2025 Ramadan fast and the Sallah.
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“Travelling to France on what the President calls ‘brief working visit’ makes no logical, tactical and good reputational sense because what will our president tell the French journalists if he is confronted with the viral videos of terrorists holding religious and social ceremonies in Nigeria whereby his primary constitutional duty is to provide security to the lives and property of Nigerians and to guarantee the welfare and well-being of the citizenry?”
The HURIWA stated that it is extremely disappointing that several months since the Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa categorically assured Nigerians that the reign of the notorious terrorist leader, Bello Turji would come to an end, the terror mastermind has rather reportedly hosted a grand Eid celebration in Magira, located in Isa Local Government Area (LGA) of Sokoto State, before leading an attack in Fadamar Lugu, where he and his gang killed 12 people and left one person injured on Tuesday.
The Rights group recalled that even 4 months back, on December 31st, 2024, the Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa appeared on a popular prime time network programme on Channels television and assured Nigerians for the umpteenth time that Turji Bello would be captured and that most of his affiliates have been neutralised. In February of this year, the CDS also told Nigerians that the terror mastermind Turji Bello is asking to surrender.
The HURIWA then wondered how come the terrorist leader is now holding open religious ceremony and even moving to another town where he killed 12 innocent members of the community just for fun.
The HURIWA quoted security analyst Bakatsine as disclosing the incident in a post on 𝕏 on Wednesday, revealing that Turji’s gathering in Magira was attended by fellow bandits from Zamfara State.
Following the festivities, the group proceeded to Fadamar Lugu, where they launched a brutal assault on innocent residents.
“Bandit leader Bello Turji hosted an Eid celebration in Magira, Isa LGA, with bandits from Zamfara State. After the feast, he moved to Fadamar Lugu in Isa LGA, Sokoto State, killing 12 people & injuring one person just for fun,” Bakatsine wrote.
Turji, one of Nigeria’s most wanted criminals, has been linked to numerous violent crimes, including mass killings, kidnappings, and raids across Sokoto and Zamfara States.
The HURIWA recalled that in a separate but alarming development, armed bandits operating in different parts of the country were seen on video performing Eid prayers at the conclusion of the 2025 Ramadan fast.
Counter-insurgency expert Zagazola Makama shared the footage on 𝕏 on Tuesday, April 1, revealing that the armed groups conducted prayers in two locations within Kaduna State.
Naijaonpoint understands that the prayers took place in Maidaro, Sabon Birni, and East Kaduna, deep within Dogon Dawa Forest.
The video footage reportedly showed the bandits armed with sophisticated weapons, including guns, drones, and mobile phones.
The HURIWA said for the fact that the Defence Chiefs including the Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede publicly gave timelines to definitely bring Turji Bello to justice or take justice to him and his many affiliates, the notorious terrorists leader Turji Bello has remained elusive and the Nigeria Army which is the largest in Africa has failed for half a year to capture just one terrorism kingpin just as the security forces are overwhelmed by sporadic terrorists attacks all across the Country.
The HURIWA noted that a tragic incident had unfolded in Delta State, where a man, Godwin Anuka, was brutally killed by suspected Fulani herders after being kidnapped alongside his wife and two children in the Ubulu-Uku area.
The shocking development was revealed by Harrison Gwamnishu, the Senior Special Assistant on Civil Society and Youth Mobilisation to the Delta State Governor, in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
According to Gwamnishu, the kidnappers had abducted two individuals on March 23, taking them into the bush while demanding ransom. However, in a heartbreaking turn of events, Anuka was murdered in the presence of his wife and children.
He noted that while the kidnappers were hiding in the bush with the two abducted victims, they saw Anuka alongside his wife and two underage children working on their farm.
The HURIWA said it is worrisome that top-flight security chiefs would publicly vow to achieve an objective and when they fail, they simply pretend like they did not publicly make any affirmation to neutralise Turji Bello. “They told us about 6 months back that Turji Bello’s threats to attack communities in Zamfara and Sokoto state was the last kick of a dying horse and that his end is imminent. Six months later, TURJI BELLO is not only operating unhindered, but he is killing civilians for fun and staging religious ceremonies covered by his affiliates who are deploying modern technology such as drones and sophisticated phones to record videos of the events and distributing them to social media platforms. This should be the reason for the failed service chiefs to take the most honourable step and resign forthwith so fresh service chiefs can be entrusted with the job of achieving the war on terror within the specified time frame.”
Dr. Victor Omololu Olunloyo, a former governor of Oyo State and a towering figure in Nigerian public life, has died just days before turning 90.
His passing was announced in a statement released on Sunday by Barrister Oladapo Ogunwusi on behalf of the Olunloyo family.
“With a heavy heart but gratitude to the Almighty, we announce the passing into glory of Dr. Victor Omololu Olunloyo, former governor of Oyo State, mathematician and engineer, and renowned technocrat, a few days before his 90th birthday,” the statement said.
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Chief Olunloyo was not only a political leader but also an accomplished academic and traditional titleholder.
He held the positions of Balogun of Oyo and Otun Bobasewa of Ife, and played key roles in the development of education in Nigeria, serving as the pioneer Rector of both The Polytechnic, Ibadan and Kwara State Polytechnic.
The family described his death as a painful loss but expressed pride in his life of service.
“His long record of service to the nation and humanity is a source of pride to his family and associates, even as we come to grips with this devastating event,” the statement added.
They have requested privacy during this time of mourning and said that preparations are ongoing to give the late statesman a befitting burial.
The Executive Governor of Osun State, Asiwaju Ademola Adeleke has felicitated with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the occasion of his 73rd birthday anniversary.
According to Gov Adeleke, the number one citizen of Nigeria is “a resourceful democrat with tested decades of democratic activism”
In a birthday message he personally signed, Gov Adeleke recounted the huge contributions of Mr President to the economic and democratic development of the nation, citing his transformational days as the Lagos State governor and his ongoing bold reforms at the national level.
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The governor who lauded the president’s capacity to make bold decisions noted that this birthday is “an occasion to reflect on the goodness of Almighty God in the life of the first family and especially that of the Number One Citizen.
“Your life typifies divine grace and exceptional blessings from the beginning to date. You are a chosen one with all attributes of a blessed leader.
“Mr President, I pray that the divine hand that has been your guide and nurturer will continue to strengthen you as you govern this strategically important country of Africa.
“I use this opportunity to restate the continued commitment of the Osun state government under my leadership to closer mutual partnership between the Federal and the Osun state government. Mr President can count on us in the common task of delivering good governance and democratic dividends to our people.
“Our dear Asiwaju and Commander in Chief of this federation, as you celebrate your 73rd birthday, I pray to God to grant you more blessings and grace to continue to succeed in your presidential mandate and to live for more years in good health and prosperity.
“Happy blessed birthday, Mr President,” Gov Adeleke wrote.
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