By: Titus Akor, Makurdi.

The immediate past Benue State Governor, Chief Samuel Ortom, has challenged the current Governor of the State Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Alia to a public debate to address allegations of financial misappropriation against his administration.

Ortom threw the challenge on Tuesday when he hosted members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists at his residence in Makurdi. The interaction with journalists focused on the recent accusations and the current state of governance in the state.

The former governor said his administration was anchored on transparency and accountability throughout its eight-year tenure, noting that all government accounts were audited annually and the reports published in national newspapers. He further pointed out that the overall audit report covering his administration was gazetted following its approval by the Benue State House of Assembly, as stipulated by law.

Chief Ortom maintained that all financial records from his time in office are intact and available for verification by relevant authorities.

He stated that if Governor Alia is confident in the report he has been circulating, he should be ready to present facts and figures in a public forum. “Let us meet for a debate where both sides can lay out their records for the people to judge,” Ortom said.

Addressing the specific allegation of ₦139.8 billion misappropriation, Chief Ortom accused the Alia administration of relying on imaginary records and attempting to witch-hunt him without proof. He argued that such claims lack substance and are aimed at damaging his reputation.

The former governor further urged his successor, Alia to take the matter to court if he believes there is a case, rather than seeking cheap popularity through media trials. He said the proper place to test such allegations is in a court of law, not in the public space without evidence.

Chief Ortom also raised concerns over the volume of resources available to the current administration. According to him, the Alia government has received about ₦1.3 trillion, an amount he said is five times greater than what accrued to the state during his eight-year tenure.

The former governor questioned why, despite the increased inflows, issues of unpaid salaries, pensions, and gratuities remain unresolved. He noted that the people are yet to see commensurate development and accountability for the funds received.

Ortom called on Alia to refocus on the campaign promises he made to the people of Benue State. He asked about the promises to clear salary arrears, pay pensions and gratuities, and return Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their ancestral homes.

Reacting to the development, Sir Tersoo Kula, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor insisted that Governor Alia was not out for any vendetta against Chief Ortom and called on him to be truthful for once.

“Handover notes are meant to be studied and when you studied them and discover lapses and gaps, you are bound to invite a legitimate authority to help you unravel the gray areas. That is exactly what Governor Alia did. In any case, this is not the first time a commission of inquiry will probe into activities of a previous administration. Ortom constituted one that probed his predecessor, Sen. Gabriel Suswam.

“Ortom needs to tell Benue and Nigerians why he felt very comfortable probing his predecessor but he is not comfortable to be probed.

“Remember, in his desperate bid to escape from the probe, he ran to the judiciary. The commission that delivered its verdict in discourse is a different one from the one he took to court.
Evidence is there that he was severally invited to appear before the commission and clear his name and he sent his lawyers who appeared for him. Most of his appointees including his former Chief Press Secretary and later Adviser of Media, Terver Akase also appeared and were given fair hearing.” Kula stressed.

Kula pointed out that no person with conscience would have ignored the mess that was met on the ground. 7 months of unpaid salaries for state government workers and 11 for Local Government workers and teachers. Over 76 months of unpaid salaries and gratuity etc. Heavy debt burden and questionable records.

He further emphasized that the government was run basically on propaganda, from pretentious sobbing in churches to perpetual deceptive statements.

“When a governor tells the worse tales that he was running and dodging bullets from assailants who pursued him for over 1km, what else do you want him to confirm as a fabricator of all form.

“Talking about 1.3trn. Someone should tell Ortom to shut up. He has no idea of economic competitive analysis. How much was a litre of fuel when he was Governor and how much is a litre of fuel now? How much was a bag of cement and how.much is it now? How.much was a kilometres of road and how much is it now? How much was the dollar exchanging for Naira and how much it is now?

“Today, a day hardly passes without garnishee orders raining in the state. We are faced with garnishees in billions. These are as a result of shoddy handling of issues and blatant disregard to procedure which was the Hallmark of that infamous administration Benue people termed, “years of the locusts”. He lamented.

Ex – Governor Samuel Ortom addressing Journalists in his Makurdi Residence.