More Trouble for PDP as Ortom Set to Join APC

• Suswam to fund his rival



Former Minister of State for Trade and Investment and supervising Minister of

Aviation,  Chief Samuel Ortom may within the week dump the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ),  for the All Progressives Congress ( APC ),  to further his political career.
Chief Ortom who has got the nod of his core supporters and campaign team after intimating them of his decision to jump ship to an alternative platform,  is said to be considering the APC where he also has a great amount of followership.

This decision which is not unconnected to his silent rivalry with the incumbent governor,  Gov. Gabriel Suswam,  who is obviously intimidated by the minister's mass acceptance,  will certainly create an irreplaceable dent in the followers hip of the PDP in the state for which Ortom has been a major stake holder.
An aide of the former minister who confirmed the rumour also stated that the minister's decision to leave the party may have been instructed by the president who is in close relations with Ortom.
He informed that although the former minister contemplated the matter, most of them have since advised him to move to any platform of his choice as advised by the powers that be.
However the news of his planned decamping is no longer secret as it has caused some unsettlement in the PDP and Suswam's can, please who as at last night had already began to seek strategies to frustrate the latter's chances of becoming the ADC'S flag bearer.
Suswam it is gathered has already sent emissaries to the President in order to inform and try to create bad blood between OOrtom and his former boss so as to curry favour aimed at gaining the president's support for his Senatorial ambition which Goodluck is said to be supporting Gemade.
A source close to Benue government house further disclosed that the state governor I  his desperation to kill the former national auditor of the PDP'S dream, has sent fore runners led by his personal assistant on Public Private Partnership,  to negotiate with a former PDP legislator who has decamped to the APC and is gunning for the nomination, with a proposal to financially support him in a bid to fight Ortom.
This news has not only unsettled Suswam and his camp but has also put smiles on some of the aspirants of the PDP who saw Ortom as a stumbling block to their hope for a ticket to represent the PDP.
One of such candidates is Dr. Eugene Aliegba accompanied the aide of a former Special Assistant to the governor, who also doubles as the defacto god father, who was seen driving through the streets of Makurdi,  from one party chieftain to another to an announce Ortom's decamping and further push forward his candidate since their only threat is about to leave for good.

Successor Tussle: Suswam's Camp in Disarray

*As Eugene Aliegba sponsors campaign of calumny against other aspirants

Gov. Gabriel Suswam

The battle to succeed the Benue state governor, Rt. Hon. Gabriel Suswam, has long began and may have reached its crescendo as intrigues and under hand tactics are now been employed by most contestants especially those acclaimed to be anointed by Suswam.
Before the infamous ward congresses that are threatening to tear the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) apart, nearly all the candidates of the party especially those who were once in the employ of the state government,  claimed to have been drafted into the race by the governor. While little or nothing was done to debunk such claims, Suswam became the selling point of most candidates except for former Minister of State for Trade and Investment,  Chief Samuel Ortom,  who has since his entrance into the race been known to be out of favour with Suswam.
However most recently the dust has begun to settle and as the numbers of Suswam boys has gradually whittled down with many claiming independence due to since the hand writing on the wall has clearly proven that they are not anointed.

Mr. High Bem
Built Suswam's Ashi Polytechnic

Chief amongst them is Mr. High Bem,  who spent a fortune on the governor's elder brother, Chief Terkura Suswam and even built the Chief's Ashi polytechnic, all in a bid to curry favour, also tugging to Suswam's cloak was former permanent secretary Prince Andy Uwouku,  who was always eager to flaunt and trace his genealogy to the Suswam's Diaka dynasty, until his unfortunate fulani saga.
Unfortunately it now seems that it may be difficult after all for Suswam to chose and anoint a successor as those linked to him have already began mudslinging and blackmail to ruin each other's reputation. This trend is now popular among those now remaining as the inner three of Suswam's anointed; Rt. Hon. Terhemen Tarzoor, Bar. Ter Adum and Dr. Eugene Aliegba. This trio have most recently employed shenanigans aimed at running down each other and blackmailing one another with the aim to ruin the reputations of perceived contenders to Suswam's love.

Dr. Eugene Aliegba

Only recently makurdi, woke up to news of Tarzoor's membership of a notorious cult group which has tormented the state for a long while. He was not only associated with this group but posters and flyer have been circulated around town and drinking joints claiming that the cult groups in the state were threatening to cause mayhem if he wins in the elections.  This unfortunate news has however been linked to the Dr. Aliegba camp who have seen Tarzoor as the reason for their loss of favour from Suswam.
Only recently a source close to the Consolidation Secretariat said they had over heard the Aliegba team boast of running down any threat and have even engaged the services of certain journalists to malign those they identify as threats.
Aliegba and his campaign team are believed to be hitting at these contenders because they have all of a sudden been sidelined by the governor, who only last week gave standing orders that Aliegba and his promoters be barred from the government house.

Rt. Hon. Terhemen Tarzoor

Aliegba whose campaign is widely known to be enjoying the financial largesse of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs courtesy of the just sacked Special Adviser,  Prince Solomon Wombo,  is said to be fighting Tarzoor seems the latter has now become the beneficiary of that purse courtesy of Hon. Kester Kyenge,  who now sits on the allocation head and is secretly now channeling that which used to be Aliegba's to "the man wey sabi"(as Tarzoor is fondly called), through his younger brother, Torwua Kyenge who sits on Tarzoor's directorate.
It is however unclear how long this will continue, however what is obvious is that coupled with the recent declaration by the president stating that governor's interested  in going to the Senate will have to forfeit their opportunity to install a successor there is certainly going to be more drama and under hand play with below the belt punches featuring prominently.

Suswam: Two Accidents, one hospital Admission!

When the gods are angry with a man even his dog barks at him - African proverb

The African proverb that says "when the gods are angry with a man even his dog barks at him", may not just be a proverb after all.  Early noon today the Benue state governor,  Rt. Hon. Gabriel Suswam was involved in an auto crash where two cars on his entourage where badly damaged with reports saying  15 persons were critically injured.
The accident which occurred at angbaaye, a settlement just outside makurdi, is said to be the second of such incidents as a detail on the governor's convoy disclosed that they had a similar accident only last week in Abuja.

According to our source, the governor's security detail had ran into his principal's car when it uneventfully hit the brakes in the middle of traffic in Abuja.
This series of events have been linked to last week's slumping of the governor after sitting on a chair presented to him by a parish priest in Kwande, to symbolise the senate seat of Zone A.

It was gathered that the governor slumped after sitting on the majestic chair and was hurriedly rushed to Katsina-Ala where his personal physician managed the situation before he was hurriedly flown to Abuja where he was checked upon and no ailments were discovered.
These mysterious events have been linked by many to his plan to forcefully usurp the senate seat which traditionally belongs to the Kwande people but has been mischievously bought by him from a couple of renegade elders.

According to beliefs, the gods of Tiv land may have decided to turn a black eye towards him a and caused the wrath he now feels.
Proponents of this belief have queried why it was after the mock installation that he slumped and why of all cars on the convoy it is the one with a Kwande registration plate number was damaged most?

Exclusive: Untold Story of How Ortom Sacked Suswam's ADC

Gov. Gabriel Suswam

It came to many as a surprise, the news that Suswam's most trusted assistants and Aide de Camp (ADC), Dickson Pawa, resigned his duties as the governor's ADC. What many did not know is that involvement of a leading governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Samuel Ortom,  in the drama that led to this resignation.
All though news making the rounds have it that Pawa had resigned to make time to pursue personal and family engagements, however investigations reveal that the former ADC was forced to resign by his former boss due to disagreement between him and his boss, involving Chief Ortom.
It has been gathered his fallout with Suswam arouse from the security details support for Chief Ortom's candidature whom Gov. Suswam has many times openly expressed his unwillingness to support or even hand over.

Chief Samuel Ortom

Even though the reason for the governor's decision not to back Ortom may not be known it is however gathered that he has severally confronted Papa to drop his support for the former minister and chose amongst his anointed ones like Hon. Terhemen Tarzoor,  Bar. Alex Adam or Dr. Eugene Aliegba.
Unfortunately these series of caution fell on deaf ears as it led to the series of events events that led to Suswam demanding Pawa's resignation. Our investigations reveal that since Ortom was not Suswam's favourite for the position, he was severally put on the screened list so as to deny him audience with the governor,  however Pawa was reported to flaunt these orders by granting the former national auditor of the PDP, passage and indeed access to his principal.
A case mentioned by our source revealed narrates that Suswam had planned to avoid Ortom last two weeks ago and thus placed an embargo on allowing him enter the government house however, Pawa radio message allowing the former minister thorough fare and to Suswam's surprise Ortom arrived the government house that morning spotting a white sneaker and grey T-shirt.
Also mentioned our source said, on the day of local government primaries,  when the governor was sneaking to Abuja giving instructions to ensure the journey was discreet, unfortunately Ortom was seen waiting for the governor at the airport, which caused Suswam to flare up and voice his loss of trust for Pawa, thus asking for his resignation.
Meanwhile, Pawa has been fingered to be contesting for the chairmanship of Katsina-Ala local government,  which it is also alleged to have hit brick walls as Suswam is said to be supporting the former ADC's closest rival to the seat, Hon. Terfa Abur.
According to our source, this support for Abur also was why Pawa had abandoned his principal on the day of the ward congresses in Logo and took off to Katsina-Ala to ensure his slot was assured. This incident also met Suswam's disapproval.