Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has accused his successor, Governor Hyacinth Alia, of attacking him rather than providing facts and figures regarding the state’s finances and a recently approved ₦100 billion loan.
Naijaonpoint reports that in a statement through his Media Adviser, Terver Akase, on Sunday, Ortom described Alia’s recent comments against him as “baseless and diversionary,” stating they were aimed at evading scrutiny over the government’s financial dealings.
Akase said rather than respond to legitimate concerns raised by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) regarding the loan approval, the Alia administration has resorted to attacking Ortom.
He further questioned how Alia’s administration has managed the huge revenues that have accrued to the state since May 2023, particularly amid reports of contract awards “without due process or budgetary provisions.”
He said, “Each time Governor Alia is confronted with questions bordering on transparency in governance or the welfare of Benue people, his reflex action is to attack Chief Ortom instead of providing facts and figures.”
The statement also cited the ₦68.3 billion road project from Wurukum Roundabout to the Air Force Base in Makurdi and another ₦73 billion project allegedly leading to Alia’s hometown in Vandeikya Local Government Area as examples of questionable expenditures.
Akase accused the Alia government of maintaining “secrecy around state finances” and failing to explain how public funds are being managed, despite increased federal allocations following the removal of fuel subsidy.
According to Akase, the government’s assertion that it spends ₦7.4 billion monthly on debt servicing is inconsistent with its own reported debt figures.
He stressed, “The government has claimed to spend ₦214.6 billion on debt servicing in 29 months₦5, 2.5 billion higher than the ₦162.1 billion total debt it declared,” he said, questioning the figures’ credibility.
The statement further noted that as of May 2023, the Ortom administration had secured pending federal approvals, including a ₦41 billion bailout balance, a ₦20 billion CBN facility, and expected refunds from subsidy and SURE-P deductions. It challenged the current government to explain whether those funds have been received and how they were utilised.
Akase maintained that Ortom left behind “verifiable records” of his administration’s finances and projects and called on the Alia government to publish the official handover documents if it believes otherwise.
He urged Governor Alia to focus on governance rather than vilifying his predecessor.
He added, “Benue people elected him to serve, not to campaign against those who came before him. Chief Ortom has moved on with dignity as a statesman and expects Governor Alia to do better, especially with the resources now available to the state.”
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