Gov. Gabriel Suswam of Benue on Tuesday condemned the defection of the former Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Industries, Mr Samuel Ortom, from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressive Congress (APC).
Suswam, who was fielding questions from State House correspondents in Abuja, frowned at those politicians moving from one party to another after failing to secure party nomination, saying such people had no principles and ideologies.
According to him, Ortom left the PDP unceremoniously despite the fact that he participated in the ‘most transparent’ PDP gubernatorial primaries but failed to secure the ticket.
“There is no conviction in ideology and so, people just swing. They change party the way we change our under garments and I find that very unfortunate.
“My Minister has been a great beneficiary of the PDP. And the most transparent primaries were held in Benue, that is why no one is complaining about the primaries.
“They just want position and once they do not get it they swing. So, I find that very unfortunate. That is why we are having the problem we are having with politics in Nigeria.
“The other parties just wait for the other parties to conduct primaries so that when they have problem, they will just take them in.
“If we continue to practice politics in that manner, I do not think that we can grow. We will not get anywhere because there is no philosophy behind what we do.
“People just swing, we are just operating like pendulum and then, if it does not work this way, there are people within this period that changed party twice.
“If they don’t get nomination in PDP, they will move to APC and if they do not get in APC, they will move to Labour, they go to APGA or they go to Accord Party. I don’t see us growing in terms of party democracy.”
According to him, this kind of politics comes out of desperation for power, saying that it is out of desperation that they move from one party to another.
Suswam, who witnessed the inauguration of the Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP) Fund for Agricultural Finance in Nigeria (FAFIN) by President Goodluck Jonathan, said Benue had already keyed into the programmes through the disbursement of N1billion to farmers in the state.
‘‘We also give them another N500 million for people to be able to operate small agro-based cottage industry and we have one gentle man who is now exporting fish to the United States of America and Europe.
‘‘We also have young girls who are exporting some poultry products out of the country. At the state level, we have established the biggest piggery farm in the entire West Africa and the biggest lab is in Benue.
‘‘The testimonies we just heard will encourage youths, so I am happy that the President is doing this.”
(NAN)
Comments