The immediate past governor of Benue, Samuel Ortom, says he lost his 2023 senatorial bid because he failed to consult God, who has told him not to contest any election in 2027.

Mr Ortom disclosed on Tuesday in Makurdi when the Peoples Democracy Party (PDP) G-14 members paid him a courtesy visit. G-14 members are elders of the PDP in the 14 Tiv-speaking local government areas in Benue.

The former governor said he had no option but to respect God’s wish and admitted that he failed to consult God before joining the 2023 election, hence his defeat.

“I’m not contesting the 2027 election,” said Mr Ortom. “I knew why I lost the election in 2023. I didn’t consult God. My people purchased the forms for me, and I accepted them without consulting God.”

“God has revealed everything to me. He has asked me to wait for him,” he said.

Mr Ortom further disclosed that while serving the state as governor, he made far-reaching sacrifices, including abandoning his family and friends at some point for state matters.

The former governor promised to continue to support the PDP, adding that no one’s ambition should be above the interest of the party.

According to him, after he left office, he wanted to go on sabbatical, but the elders objected.

Mr Ortom said nobody has the power to disband the revered PDP G-14 group, not even him as the leader of the party.

“As a leader of the party in the state, I lack the powers to dissolve the group. So, nobody can disband this group,” he said.

On the forthcoming congresses, he said the national secretariat had already approved the ward and local government congresses of Benue, adding that the state congress would hold on October 3.

He said he had already spoken to Gabriel Suswam and Abba Moro, and they agreed to encourage consensus as much as they could because they were in opposition.

The chairman of PDP G-14, Laha Dzever, said they came to pledge their support for his leadership again and promised to work for the peace and unity of the party.

On their purported dissolution, Mr Dzever said that nobody selected the group formed in 2015 as part of our efforts to ensure that the party did not collapse after losing elections.

“The only person that can disband us is the leader of the party in the state, and that is Chief Ortom. You alone can only disband what you have formed,” he said.

(NAN)