Tor Tiv Reconciles Ortom And Suswam
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Loading ...From Msughshima Andrew, Makurdi
At long last, The Tor Tiv V, Professor James Ayatse has stepped in to reconcile Governor Samuel Ortom and his predecessor, Dr Gabriel Suswam with the two leaders agreeing to work together for the overall good of the state .
Our correspondent gathered that the Tor Tiv had invited them (Ortom and Suswam) to a meeting in his Gboko Palace where, for seven hours, between Sunday and early hours of Monday, he poured out his heart to them.
Information from the palace had it that the Tiv Paramount ruler said his heart was broken that his two great sons and leaders who are supposed to stand together to develop the state and the Tiv nation were not in a good relationship.
He had therefore appealed to them to make peace and move the state forward together.
Governor Samuel Ortom who confirmed the development while speaking with journalists in Makurdi, said the meeting was a peace meeting.
“The meeting was convened at the instance of the Tor Tiv. I was there, former Governor Gabriel Suswam was also there and principally, the meeting was a peace meeting.
“The Tor Tiv told us that he has noticed for a while that the relationship between me and former Governor Suswam was not smooth. That he needed us, Tiv prominent sons, to work together”
Governor Ortom stated that the Tor Tiv urged both of them to sheath their swords, no matter the problems, and work together for the common good of Benue State.
He said the Tor Tiv attributed some of the current challenges in the state to the inability of himself and his predecessor to synergize and work as a team adding that where two elephants fight, it is the people that suffers and that there is need for us to harmonize our differences and look at the interest of Benue first.
“I think it was worth it because the Bible said blessed are the peace makers and Tor Tiv is a child of God for him to have convened that meeting. And we agreed that we will work together to make Benue better than where we are, ” he said.
Contrary to rumours that he was leaving the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and had gone to that meeting to beg former Governor Suswam for a platform, Governor Ortom stated that the meeting had nothing to do with politics and that he had no plans to leave the APC.
“It is not connected with the issue of platform, we did not discuss any platform matter because there was no need for that. The rumours are being carried by those who have been feeding on the problem between me and Suswam. Now that we have made up, let me see where they will get their garri again.” he stressed.
“I am the Governor in the ruling party, why should I go and beg for a platform, why am I looking for a platform? I have told you that for now I have suspended all political activities pending when the crisis in Benue will be resolved and when my people will go back to their ancestral homes and they are no longer in the IDP camps and when security for lives and property is restored.”
