ORTOM, THE POLITICAL MAN OF THE YEAR

* Politics is the Food Ortom Knows How to Eat Best

By Morgan Adikwu

The 2019 Political chain of events, climaxed into the declarations of winners and opened the windows for Electoral Tribunal to entertain dissatisfied electoral opponents.

 Though, the year is still at its first quarter, but no other political activity would be characterized with the level of intrigues, conspiracy, betrayer, scheming, suspense, illusion, propaganda, harassment, intimidation, manipulation and anti-party that was witnessed before and during the election.

Not even the political horse trading for the Senate Presidency or Speaker of the National Assembly. Thus, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, stands out as the Political Man of year.

It takes a man with great valour and sound political dexterity to exhibit the kind of intrepid that Ortom demonstrated in the defense of Benue Valley.

 Despite the treacherous machinations and shenanigans displayed by both internal and exogenous forces, Ortom has been courageous, resolute and determined to risk everything; life, political career etc, to stand by the wishes and aspirations of his people.

 Apparently, this feat has been acknowledged and applauded by his people and those living around the boarders of Benue state especially Nasarawa South and the larger section of Nigeria.

Non among the 2019 elections contestants have witnessed "trump up" odds and forces like Ortom. Even in the past, no governor in Nigeria has survive half of the conspiratorial forces and political victimization that Ortom was subjected to.

If the foregoing is not explicit, then one should endeavor to inquire into how Adamu Atta, the governor of Kwara in 1979 was replaced by Cornelius Adebayo in 1983, Mohammed Lawal, shortchanged with Senator Bukola Saraki in 2003, or is the political tsunami that swept Chinwoke Mbadinuju in 2003, that Chris Ngige could not survive in 2006. Maybe we forget in a hurry, the case of Akinwumi Ambode, the Lagos State Governor.

 It was in the midst of all these that, Ortom shocked the World with his electoral victory, despite the boast of both the imaginary and real forces.

In recent time, Ortom has the record of being the only one who within four years has alternated political platforms and still won guber election twice.

In each of those elections, doubts from both within and outside were cast about his victory, yet nourished with the food of politics which Ortom Knows how to eat best, he always turned the doubts around, that the sophisticated sponsored hatchet jobs of the likes of Sam Omatseye, lack the capacity to deny him victory.

With this electoral victory, the stage is set for Ortom to continue with his five strategic programmes of "Our Collective Vision for New Benue" ; Good governance and Revenue Security, Investment & Critical Infrastructure, STEAM-Base Education and Health Services, Agriculture Driven Industrialization and Gender, Women, Youth and People with Disabilities, which tremendous efforts have been made in his first tenure.

Thus, with the popularization of the concept of "Federal Might" into the Nigerian political lexicon, that was nakedly test-run in Benue, Governor Samuel Ortom stand out as the Political Man of the year.