SAMUEL Ortom, Benue governor, has said he is still a member of the ruling All Progressive Congress, (APC).

Governor Ortom backtracked days after he said he was no longer in the APC as he was issued a red card.

“As for party, I’ve been given the red card and I’m now outside the pitch. So, if I have been given the red card and I’m standing outside, that means I’m a free man,” Ortom had said.

“I don’t know what will happen next but I’m waiting. If others approach me, then I will tell the Benue people that I’m joining another football club,” he added.

His decision to reconsider his stance on the party was because of the outcome of a meeting he had with Adams Oshiomhole, the national chairman of the APC on Thursday at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.

“I was given red card by the senator who is their leader in Benue state and I took it as serious enough,” the governor restated on Thursday.

“But the leadership of the party told me that the decision of the party leadership at the national level is superior to any individual and I think that is good enough.

”We have spoken to him (Oshiomole), he has spoken to me, stakeholders are going to be spoken to and that is where I belong. We have not concluded the matter, it is an ongoing process because I have always stood for peace and I always want peace to prevail.

“I am here in APC, a member of APC, I am still flying the flag of APC and I only said I was given red card. I’ve been corrected by the national secretariat,” Ortom said.

Thanking the leadership for their intervention, he said he hoped they (leaders) would be able to resolve the matter.

On his part, Oshiomhole said the party does not issue red card to its members.

“APC does not have a red card in our cupboard so we can’t give what we don’t have.

“We recognised that in several states there could be legitimate legal issues, there could be agreements, disagreements, some contestations and this we are familiar with,” he said.