‘Your Attacks On Me Are A Cover-Up’, Ortom Tells Alia

Former Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, has accused his successor, Governor Hyacinth Alia, of utilizing idiosyncratic attacks against him arsenic a diversionary maneuver to screen up alleged fiscal mismanagement and controversies surrounding a precocious approved ₦100 cardinal loan.

In a connection issued connected Saturday by his Media Adviser, Terver Akase, Ortom described the Alia administration’s comments astir him arsenic “baseless and diversionary,” claiming they were meant to distract the nationalist from increasing scrutiny implicit the government’s handling of authorities funds.

Akase alleged that alternatively of addressing morganatic concerns raised by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) astir the indebtedness and the state’s fiscal status, the incumbent politician has “resorted to attacking Ortom personally.”

“Each clip Governor Alia is confronted with questions bordering connected transparency successful governance oregon the payment of Benue people, his reflex enactment is to onslaught Chief Ortom alternatively of providing facts and figures,” Akase said.

He accused the politician of exhibiting “growing intolerance for accountability” and “an obsession with dragging Ortom’s sanction into each issue, nary substance however unrelated.”

The connection further questioned however the Alia-led authorities has managed the immense revenues accruing to the authorities since May 2023, citing alleged cases of declaration awards without owed process oregon budgetary provisions.

According to Akase, examples included the ₦68.3 cardinal roadworthy task from Wurukum Roundabout to the Air Force Base successful Makurdi and different ₦73 cardinal task purportedly starring to the governor’s hometown successful Vandeikya Local Government Area.

He accused the Alia medication of maintaining “secrecy astir authorities finances,” contempt accrued national allocationsfollowing the removal of substance subsidy.

Akase besides dismissed the government’s claims connected the state’s indebtedness profile, describing them arsenic contradictory.

“The authorities has claimed to walk ₦214.6 cardinal connected indebtedness servicing successful 29 months—₦52.5 cardinal higher than the ₦162.1 cardinal full indebtedness it declared,” helium said, questioning the figures’ credibility.

The connection added that arsenic of May 2023, the Ortom medication had secured pending national approvals, including a ₦41 cardinal bailout balance, a ₦20 cardinal CBN facility, and expected refunds from subsidy and SURE-P deductions. Akase challenged the existent authorities to clarify whether those funds had been received and however they were utilised.

He further accused the medication of mismanaging section authorities funds, alleging that contempt grounds allocations, “not 1 of the 23 councils has executed a azygous improvement project,” dissimilar nether Ortom, erstwhile “local governments actively competed successful delivering projects.”

Akase maintained that Ortom near down “verifiable records” of his administration’s finances and projects, urging Governor Alia to people the authoritative handover documents if helium believed otherwise.

“Benue radical elected him to serve, not to run against those who came earlier him,” Akase said.

“Chief Ortom has moved connected with dignity arsenic a statesman and expects Governor Alia to bash better, particularly with the resources present disposable to the state.”