The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has lost his senatorial bid to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Titus Zam.
The returning officer for Benue north-west senatorial election, Rufus Shaato, made the announcement of the results on Monday, February 27, 2023 at the INEC local government collation centre in Makurdi, the capital of the state.
The APC candidate, Zam gathered 143,151 votes to defeat the sitting Governor of the state, Ortom who secured 106,882 votes.
The Informant247 recalls that the Governor earlier made a vow that he was ready to forfeit his senatorial ambition so that the presidential candidate of Labour Party, LP can win the presidential election.
Ortom was one of the aggrieved governors of the PDP otherwise known as G-5 governors — who maintained that the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku and the national Chairman of the party, Iyorcha Ayu (both northeners) cannot hold those two principal positions of the party.
The 5 Governors called for the resignation of Ayu as a precondition to support the presidential candidate of the party.
Ortom on Saturday February 25, 2023 cast his vote for Obi in the presidential election at his polling unit in Tse-Ortom, Mzondu ward, Guma LGA of the state.