Mr Ortom faulted Atiku’s claim that he issued a blanket condemnation of all Fulani people as bad, saying he never said that.
Mr Ortom said this on Wednesday when he received a group, under the agies of Jemgbagh Youths, on a protest at the Government House, Makurdi, over alleged lies against him by Atiku.
“He lied against me and I take exceptions to that because what he said is hate speech,” Mr Ortom said. “Some Fulani people are my friends, I trust them to a point of even taking them to my bedroom and I have not sent any Fulani man away from Benue. “Atiku, you have been very unfair to Benue people and Fulani people alone cannot make you the president,” he said.Mr Ortom, however, said that in spite of the crisis in the PDP, he would work towards its victory at all levels in the state.“I am committed to the victory of the party at all levels in the state,” he said.