By Winnie Onu, Makurdi
Former Benue State Governor, Chief Samuel Ortom, has accused his successor, Governor Hyacinth Alia, of attacking him to divert public attention from growing questions over the state’s financial transparency and the controversial N100 billion loan approved by the House of Assembly few days ago.
Ortom, in a statement signed by his Media Adviser, Terver Akase, on Sunday, described Alia’s latest comments as “baseless and diversionary,” saying they were aimed at evading scrutiny over the governor’s management of state finances.
He said instead of addressing legitimate concerns raised by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) about the new loan, the Alia administration resorted to “vituperations and propaganda” against his person and past government.
Ortom said, “Each time Governor Alia is confronted with questions bordering on transparency or the welfare of Benue people, his reflex action is to attack me instead of providing facts and figures. This pattern exposes an administration averse to accountability.”
The former governor alleged that contracts under the current administration were awarded without due process, citing the N68.3 billion road project from Wurukum Roundabout to the Air Force Base in Makurdi and another N73 billion project reportedly leading to the governor’s village.
He challenged the government to publish records of the state’s finances, including receipts from federal allocations and refunds, as well as clarify claims about inherited debts.
Ortom maintained that his administration left verifiable handover documents and accused Alia of “engaging in cheap propaganda meant to mislead the public.”
Meanwhile, Governor Alia’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, had earlier defended the loan, saying the state inherited an unsustainable N359 billion debt from the Ortom government but had since reduced it.
He said the N100 billion facility would be used for “verifiable, people-oriented projects,” accusing the PDP of hypocrisy for criticising a government that was rebuilding the state’s infrastructure.
