By Nziwu Uchechi
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, and his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Mohammed, on Tuesday, settled their differences over their face-off on the herdsmen crisis rocking the country.
A truce between the two men appeared to have been reached after a meeting at Wike’s private residence in Port Harcourt with Ortom and Mohammed embracing each other.
Mohammed had defended Fulani herdsmen wielding AK-47 rifles, saying they did so for self-protection.
Reacting, Ortom had lambasted the Bauchi governor for allegedly supporting criminality while labeling him a “terrorist governor”.
Peoples Democratic Party had waded into the altercation between the two governors who incidentally belonged to the PDP.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike and his Adamawa State counterpart, Ahmadu Fintiri, met with the two governors on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, and initiated reconciliation efforts.
Speaking at the meeting which held at Governor Wike’s private residence at Rumuepirikom, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, noted that the polity had already been overheated while insecurity persists, pointing out that the outburst was needless.
He added that “the meeting was in the overall interest of the PDP and the nation”.
Wikke expressed regret at the cycle of conflicts and crisis in Nigeria, noting that the bickering was unhealthy for the nation.
He also said he believed that the misunderstanding can be resolved and hence the idea behind the meeting.
“Everybody knows that the Federal Government has failed in providing security for this country. And of course you will not blame them. They (Ortom and Mohammed) are under pressure from their various states. It is not as if they have any personal issues, ” says Wike.
Ortom said he felt that the outburst was uncalled for. “As Brothers who served in the Federal Executive Council together, we would always resolve our problems amicably, ” he said.
He blamed the outburst on the security situation in the country, describing the security architecture in the country as weak.
The reconciliatory meeting appealled to the Federal government and the new security chiefs to reform the security architecture in order to achieve results.
“We are all fallible human beings and we are subject to mistakes and so when we make mistakes , it is a plus for us if we correct them. And I think moving forward, we shall live together. The Fulani and Tiv people have cohabitated for a long time and there is no issue whatsoever, ” Ortom said.
The Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed commended Fintiri and Wike for the peace initiative.
“I want to seize this opportunity to tell Nigerians that whatever misconception that is there , that me and my brother Ortom are having problem or anybody in Nigeria is not true. What happened was just an explanation that emanated from a larger Governors’ Forum that we spoke on the security of the nation and we talked of the failure of security infrastructure which everybody knows is under the purview of the federal government.”