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Ortom accepts defeat in Senatorial race, withdraws case against APC’s Zam

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Samuel Ortom, the governor of Benue State, issued an apology to everyone he may have offended during his tenure in office on Tuesday.

He also announced his decision to drop the lawsuit he filed at the Electoral Petition Tribunal, where he was contesting the election of Titus Zam as the senator-elect for the Benue North West Senatorial District on February 25.

Governor Ortom’s hopes of becoming a senator were crushed as he lost to his former aide Zam on February 25.

The governor had stated, in response to his defeat at the time, that he would go to court to challenge the election’s results since, in his words, they had not been transmitted.

However, in a change of position, Ortom stated in a press conference on Tuesday that he had made the decision to withdraw his case from the tribunal after meeting with constituents and members of his campaign council at the Government House in Makurdi.

He said, “Though there was glaring evidence of malpractices including non-transmission of results electronically during the conduct of the Benue North West senatorial election, I have taken the decision to withdraw my case from the tribunal.”

READ ALSO: Ortom accuses PDP NWC of defying court orders

He added that the decision to withdraw his case from the court was in the interest of peace and without prejudice to the suits filed by other candidates of his party, the PDP.

“As a leader of PDP, I will continue to support the party in collaboration with other leaders to enable it to bounce back from the mistakes and drawbacks that are affecting it at the moment.

“For those I might have offended in this journey of serving the state and our country, I seek their forgiveness as I also forgive those who have offended me,” Ortom said.

The governor commended the state’s residents for their fortitude in voting in large numbers in the recently concluded elections despite what he called “glaring provocation and intimidation by the federal government” and thanked the PDP in the state for its unwavering support.

He added that it had been an honor to serve the people of Benue State as governor, adding that he had always made sure equity, fairness, justice, and the rule of law were held.

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