Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has announced his defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Governor made the announcement on Wednesday during a meeting he held with elected local government chairmen and councillors at the Government House, Makurdi, the state capital

Ortom, who was elected under the platform of the APC in 2015 also disclosed that the APC ward chairman in his state as well as 13 local government chairmen were ready to join him in PDP, adding that he had forwarded the letter of his resignation from the All Progressives Congress to his ward chairman.

 Ortom’s defection comes barely a day after the Benue State House of Assembly impeached its APC Speaker, Terkimbi Tyanger and 22 members of the house dumped the party for the PDP. Scores of members of the House of Representatives from the state as well as Senator Barnabas Gemade also defected from the APC to the PDP. 

Before now, Ortom had hinted at his imminent departure from the ruling party largely due to his disagreement with APC’s leader in the state, Senator George Akume. 

Confirming the development, a media adviser to the governor, Tahav Agerzua told reporters that his principal had severally complained that the APC was no longer a platform that had the interest of Benue people at heart.

A former Minister of State for Industry during the Goodluck Jonathan administration, Ortom joined the APC from the PDP ahead of the 2015 elections.

Earlier on Wednesday, a group of Benue youths under the auspices of ‘Coalition of Benue Youths’ forced the driver of the governor to remove the flag of the APC which was hoisted on his car.

The youths also prevented the Ortom from proceeding to Abuja, where he was scheduled to attend a meeting with the APC leadership to find ways of settling the rift between him and Akume.