Former Benue State Governor, Chief Samuel Ortom, has urged Governor Hyacinth Alia to cease the blame game and instead concentrate on addressing the state’s security challenges by implementing the security roadmap provided by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
This was contained in a statement signed by his media aide, Terver Akase, on Sunday.
According to the statement, Ortom said Governor Alia keeps dragging his name into issues that have nothing to do with him.
“We saw a statement from Governor Alia, issued through his Chief Press Secretary, once again shifting focus to former Governor Ortom, despite the issue having no relevance to him,” said Terver Akase, Ortom’s media aide. “Governor Alia and his team appear fixated on Ortom, seizing every opportunity to drag his name into unrelated matters. This blame game needs to end.
”Akase refuted Alia’s claim that over four million people were displaced under Ortom’s leadership, calling it misleading. He clarified that the Ortom administration had established a credible data system for tracking internally displaced persons (IDPs), in partnership with both national and international bodies, including NEMA, UNHCR, UNICEF, and the ICRC.
“In fact, the figure of 1.5 million IDPs that Governor Alia now quotes was handed over to him by Ortom’s administration,” the statement added.
He further accused Governor Alia of politicising the killings in Benue State by armed herders, urging him to focus on genuine solutions rather than political distractions.
“People are dying like animals in rural communities, yet the government continues to downplay the scale of deaths and displacement,” Akase stated.
He urged Governor Alia to begin implementing the security and humanitarian recommendations given by President Bola Tinubu during his recent visit to Benue State.
“It’s been five days since the President visited and offered clear advice to the governor. Why hasn’t any concrete action been taken?” he asked.
The statement also cited a protest by hundreds of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Makurdi, who claimed they had been abandoned by the government. Akase expressed shock that while IDPs suffer, the Executive Secretary of SEMA—tasked with their welfare—was reportedly seen attending a lavish wedding in the United Kingdom.
He also advised Governor Alia to grant full financial autonomy to the 23 local governments in Benue, in line with a Supreme Court ruling.
“Since the removal of fuel subsidy, local government allocations have increased by over 400%. These councils should be allowed to use their funds to enhance security and development,” Akase said.
In conclusion, he warned that Ortom’s camp would no longer remain silent in the face of misinformation.
“Let it be known that moving forward, any false claims made by the current administration against former Governor Ortom will receive a prompt and fitting response. Chief Ortom has handed over the reins—he did his part and stepped aside. It is now the responsibility of the current administration to lead effectively,” he asserted.
If Governor Alia and his administration are out of their depth in handling the security challenges in the state, they should publicly admit their incapacity and call stakeholders for help as President Tinubu also counseled him recently, rather than throwing canisters at imaginary opponents,” the statement noted.
