SAMUEL Ortom, Governor of Benue State, has dropped a hint of his defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) because he has been given a “red card” by the party.

“As for party, I have been given red card and I’m outside the pitch. So, if I have been given red card and I’m standing outside, I’m a free man,” Ortom said on Monday at the inauguration of Jerome Torshimbe as Special Adviser to Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

There have been concerns about whether Ortom would still remain in the ruling party since his state has been coming under attacks by suspected herdsmen. Leaders of the opposition party visited the state recently to sympathise with him.

Ortom has repeatedly said he remains a member of APC and would not quit.

“So, I don’t know what will happen next; but I’m waiting. If one approaches me, then I will tell the Benue people that I’m joining another football club.”

Ortom described himself as a child of destiny, noting that only God will decide what he will be.

According to The Punch, the governor lamented the security challenges confronting Benue State and enjoined people of the state to be united for development to take place in the state.

He said that the challenges facing the state would soon disappear, noting that “many people have been wondering that though we dedicate the state to God, we are still facing challenges; but all these challenges that we see today, we shall see them no more.”

Ortom urged people in the state to move to the righteous side of God, because “once we do that, things will work out for our good.

“If we do that and ensure that His values get into our hearts and we work with him, development will be inevitable. Let us work and encourage those things that can develop us. We need to come together and not allow party or ethnicity to divide us.”