The member representing the Gboko/Tarka federal constituency and wife of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Regina Akume, has said her husband, Senator George Akume, has forgiven Samuel Ortom, former governor of Benue State.
She stated this during the reception for the newly appointed minister from Benue in Abuja on Monday.
Recall that it was through the instrumentality of Sen. Akume as the leader of the Benue All Progressive Congress (APC) that Ortom became the governor of Benue State in 2015. He single-handedly made Ortom governor (after he lost in the governorship primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)) ahead of other governorship candidates in APC, a decision that was trailed by outrage and litigation.
But after two years of patronage, both politicians parted ways due to irreconcilable differences, with Ortom defecting from APC to PDP.
It was the “mother of all political crises” in Benue State, and it led to the defeat of Akume in his senatorial election bid in 2019, with Ortom describing his defeat as his retirement from Benue politics.
Mrs Akume, who spoke while addressing the former governor and loyalists of her husband at the event, said: “I am speaking here on behalf of my dear husband, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen George Akume, the man who has so much love for Benue people.
“A dynamic young man who is so compassionate and forgiving, and as you can see, about a while ago, the former governor was here, but you did know what happened the last eight years ago, but he has forgiven him.”
Mrs Akume was elated about the presence of the former governor and sad about the absence of the present governor.
“Our own governor is not here; no representative, but that’s what we have got. So, we said thank you to God for that too. Great party men came from all over. I salute your courage. I thank you for standing by His Excellency, my husband,” she said.