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Vows to expose his successor
Former Governor of Benue State Chief Samuel Ortom has accused his successor, Governor Hyacinth Alia, and his administration of spreading falsehoods about him and his tenure, alleging that he is being used as a scapegoat to cover up their own shortcomings.
Ortom, who spoke to newsmen in Makurdi on Tuesday, described claims that his administration left behind a debt burden of over N139 billion as “a lie from the pit of hell”, insisting that Governor Alia has continued to blackmail and malign his government despite repeated efforts to avoid public confrontation.
The former governor, who said he had privately advised Governor Alia to focus on governance rather than dwelling on past administrations, maintained that his eight-year administration delivered significant infrastructure, healthcare, agricultural, and security projects across Benue State, stressing that he governed with fairness, due process, and accountability.
According to him, no evidence exists linking him, his family members or associates to the diversion of public funds, despite numerous petitions filed against him before anti-corruption agencies.
Ortom particularly defended his role in attracting private investments to Benue, citing the establishment of a multi-billion-naira cassava processing plant along the Makurdi–Gboko Road.
He again debunked allegations that he owns the company, explaining that he only created the enabling environment that attracted Chinese investors to the state, adding that the project was part of his vision to industrialise Benue and create jobs for youths through value addition to agricultural produce.
He lamented that a similar cassava processing project in Ukum Local Government Area was crippled by insecurity after attacks by armed groups reportedly led to the deaths of security personnel and two Chinese nationals.
According to him, both factories would have transformed the state’s economy and boosted income for cassava farmers if allowed to operate fully.
The former governor also blamed political persecution for many of the challenges he faced in office, claiming he was denied access to loans and intervention funds because of his opposition to policies that would have compromised the state’s anti-open-grazing law.
Ortom said he inherited N72 billion in salary, pension and gratuity arrears and reduced the debt significantly to N30 billion before leaving office.
Defending his record on workers’ welfare, Ortom stated that he inherited several months of unpaid salaries from his predecessor but paid most of the outstanding obligations during his tenure.
He also acknowledged leaving behind five months of salary arrears, arguing that despite the economic realities and declining revenues that affected many states at the time, “Benue State University never embarked on strike during my administration because of my commitment to meeting their financial obligations.”
The former governor accused the Alia administration of failing to account for huge revenues accruing to the state under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, stating that Benue had received more than N1.3 trillion in three years, compared to about N817 billion received during his entire eight-year tenure.
He questioned how the funds had been spent and vowed to release documents showing allocations and expenditures in the coming months.
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“As from today, I’m going against this government; the stealing, the hypocrisy and connivance I to enslave our people. After three years of leaving office, I concluded that silence can be golden sometimes, but it can be consent at other times. So I’m not going to keep silent again.”
Ortom further alleged that local government autonomy had been undermined under the present administration, stating that local councils enjoyed greater financial independence during his tenure and were able to execute projects across the state.
He accused the current government of appropriating funds meant for local governments despite the Supreme Court’s ruling affirming their autonomy.
The former governor challenged Governor Alia to a public debate, saying he was prepared to present factual documents and figures to defend his administration.
He stated that allegations of financial mismanagement against him were politically motivated and intended to weaken his influence ahead of the 2027 elections.
He also criticised the administration’s handling of infrastructure projects, claiming that many road projects initiated by the government remained incomplete despite the enormous resources available to the state.
Ortom listed several roads, hospitals, health centres and rural electrification projects executed during his tenure, insisting that Benue people could verify his achievements across the state’s 23 local government areas.
Declaring an end to his silence, Ortom vowed to expose what he described as hypocrisy, corruption and mismanagement within the current administration. He said he had tolerated attacks against his person for three years but would no longer remain silent while his legacy was being tarnished. The former governor maintained that his actions were driven by a commitment to protecting Benue’s interests and ensuring accountability in government.
In a swift response, Governor Hyacinth Alia, through his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Tersoo Kula, urged Chief Ortom to state the truth, saying, “Governor Alia is not out for any vendetta against Mr Ortom. Handover notes are meant to be studied. When you study them and discover lapses and gaps, you are bound to invite a legitimate authority to help you unravel the grey areas.”
He added that Governor Alia’s actions were not unusual, noting that commissions of inquiry have historically been used to review previous administrations, citing that Ortom himself constituted one that probed his predecessor, Senator Gabriel Suswam.
Ortom, he said, should explain why he was comfortable probing his predecessor but now objects to being investigated.
On the N1.3 trillion claim, he said Ortom lacked understanding of economic comparative analysis, questioning changes in fuel prices, cement costs, exchange rates, and road construction costs between then and now.
He added: “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.”
