Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, on Tuesday declared that the state may likely not vote for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku.

Speaking with journalists in Makurdi, the governor said he had no input in the selection of members of the presidential campaign team who are from the state.

He said, “I am not in his campaign team. All the people there are not with my consent. But I am waiting, when the election comes, we shall hold the election according to the election.”

Speaking on the statement credited to the party’s presidential candidate in his condolence message over the killing of 36 people at Gbeji last Wednesday, Ortom described the statement as inciting.

Atiku had said in the statement, “When our people are well integrated into communities where they live, work, pay taxes and raise their children, they’d be obligated to reciprocate the love and acceptance.

“My deepest condolences to the families that may have lost a loved one and to the people and government of Benue State.”

But Ortom described the word ‘integration’ as a mark of disrespect for him and the state.

Also reacting to Atiku’s outburst at a recent interactive forum organised by Arewa Consultative Forum, in Kaduna that he was angry with Ortom for categorising Fulani people as bandits and terrorists, the governor said the statement indicated that Atiku was working with Miyeitti Allah, saying, “that is the same thing Miyetti Allah was saying about me. I never profiled Fulani. I only qualify each time I called Fulanis.

“These are Fulanis from Niger Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, Libya from Chad who have come together and said they would take over our country and make their abode.”