From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi
A veteran stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State, Chief Bemgba Iortyom, has formally joined the race for the 2027 Benue governorship.
He revealed that he informed the immediate past Governor of the state and leader of the PDP, Chief Samuel Ortom, of his decision during a visit to his Abuja residence on Wednesday.
Iortyom, who received fatherly blessings from Chief Ortom for his ambition, traced his history of loyalty and service to the PDP dating back to the foundation of the party in 1998.
He noted that he has remained faithful to the party to date, never having left even for a moment, whether the party was in or out of power.
His service to the party, he recalled, has been in various capacities, including eight years as Benue State Publicity Secretary.
During that time, he doubled as the National Chairman of the PDP Forum of State Publicity Secretaries and discharged numerous national assignments for the party, including his current role as Consultant on Media and Public Communications to the Benue State Chapter.
This background, he said, marks him out as the most qualified and suitable candidate to fly the PDP flag in the 2027 governorship election, as he possesses an unmatched network of connectivity within the party’s structure in the state—a factor he believes will galvanize the party’s teeming followers for victory at the polls.
In addition to his political experience, the veteran party man highlighted that he has been involved in a series of community development initiatives across the state. He considers himself experienced and adept at attracting development opportunities to rural communities and mobilizing people to engage in collective ventures to improve their living conditions.
Touching on the vexing issue of security of lives and property, Chief Iortyom emphasized that the Prohibition of Open Grazing and Ranches Establishment Law (2017) remains the best antidote to the herdsmen crisis.
He stated that if elected Governor of Benue State, he will revive the enforcement of the law through an approach that ensures peace for farmers and pastoralists alike who are willing to embrace peaceful coexistence under the rule of law.
Accompanying his plan to tackle physical insecurity, he said, will be the restoration of the state’s economic and cultural integrity by abolishing the harmful practice of capital flight and promoting the dignity of the human person.
He intends to lead citizens to cultivate civility and decorum in their relations with one another and in their partnerships with the government.
In his words: “My administration will be guided by the urgent need to rescue Benue State from the prevailing order of physical insecurity, where citizens live in constant fear for their lives, and where terrorists and outlaws have annexed portions of the state and reign therein as sovereigns, subjugating the people under oppression and the rule of terror.
“It is equally very disturbing that the bonds of unity, love, and respect for one another—which should be at the core of civil life in any decent society—have been systematically assaulted under the present order, where the incumbent governor himself is the chief protagonist in a culture of vile and hateful relations, and where citizens have become callous and inhuman toward one another.”
Chief Iortyom further stated that as governor, he will not share sovereignty over the state with terrorists, criminals, and outlaws, stressing that the paradigm of his administration will be the restoration of the people’s territorial, economic, and cultural integrity.
The former PDP spokesman holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) degree from the Moses Adasu University (MOAU), Makurdi, and bears the traditional title of Vande-U-Mbaiwer (Rock of the Mbaiwer Kindred) in recognition of his sterling track record of contributions to rural community development.
