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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
The 2027 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State, Chief Michael Aondoakaa, has described as false and fabricated a report alleging an arrangement involving him, former Governor and PDP leader in the state, Chief Samuel Ortom, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 elections.
Aondoakaa stated this in a statement signed by his Media Assistant, James Ian, and made available to newsmen in Makurdi on Sunday.
He described the report as a fabricated political narrative designed to mislead the public, insisting that there had been no meeting, negotiation or agreement involving him and the political figures mentioned in the report.
The statement read: “We state categorically and without equivocation that the report is false in its entirety. There was no such meeting, agreement, negotiation or political arrangement involving Chief Aondoakaa and the other leaders as alleged in the publication.”
Aondoakaa also described the “so-called International Centre for Transparency Nigeria (ICTN)” credited with the purported press conference as a faceless group with no known credible existence or record of activities commensurate with the claims attributed to it.
He said the publication provided no documentary evidence, verifiable communiqué or other proof connecting him to the alleged political arrangement.
“The publication provides no documentary evidence of the alleged political deal, no verifiable communiqué and no proof whatsoever connecting Chief Aondoakaa to the imaginary arrangement. Instead, it strings together conjecture and political gossip and attempts to present them as serious political intelligence,” he said.
He further dismissed the suggestion that he was acting as a political bridge between Ortom, Akume and Atiku, saying the allegation had no factual basis.
According to him, Aondoakaa remained focused on building a broad coalition of Benue people across political, ethnic and religious divides and presenting a credible alternative based on security, economic recovery, agricultural development, job creation and responsible governance.
He said it was “mischievous” to portray legitimate political consultations and engagements as evidence of a clandestine presidential arrangement.
Aondoakaa also questioned the plausibility of the allegation in view of Ortom’s political position ahead of the 2023 elections.
He recalled that Ortom was a prominent member of the G-5 Governors who opposed Atiku’s presidential bid in 2023 on the grounds that, after eight consecutive years of a northern presidency, power should shift to the South.
He said Ortom had paid a significant political price for the position but remained committed to what he described as the principles of equity, fairness and national cohesion.
Aondoakaa said the mention of the SGF in the alleged arrangement did not make the report credible.
“For the avoidance of doubt, there has been no meeting or arrangement involving Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, Chief Samuel Ortom and Senator George Akume to work for the presidential ambition of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. No such arrangement exists.”
He alleged that some political elements in Benue State, who were increasingly uncertain about their electoral fortunes, might find fabricated stories and alleged alliances useful as tools of political warfare.
According to him, the frequency with which his name had been linked to what he described as manufactured controversies since his emergence as the PDP governorship candidate was instructive.
He said the attacks suggested that his candidature was being viewed as a serious political threat ahead of the 2027 elections.
Aondoakaa challenged those behind the allegation to produce evidence of the purported meeting or arrangement, including when and where it took place, who convened it, who attended and what verifiable evidence they had to substantiate their claims.
