Akume’s false allegations on Ortom, target at accessing Benue funds — Ngbede
By Titus Atondu, Makurdi
The Chairman Benue State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sir John Ngbede has disclosed that all the false allegations leveled against the Governor of Benue State Samuel Ortom and Benue State by the Honourable Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Senator George Akume in his press conference, to appeal sympathy from President Muhammadu Buhari is targeted at accessing the Benue State funds.
According to Ngbede, demonizing of Governor Ortom, denial of attacks on Benue people by armed herdsmen, not mentioning of the over 1.5 million Internally Displaced Persons (DPs) in the various camps across the state is all targeted at access to Benue State government funds.
Sir Ngbede made the disclosure during a press conference at the Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, Benue State.
He explained that press conference was held as a reaction to the dramatic departure of Governor Samuel Ortom from the All Progressives Congress, (APC), and re-entry into the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Ortom took along with him massive members of the ruling party at the national level and his defection sounded the death knell for Senator Akume’s elective political career as was manifested in the 2019 General Election.
Ngbede explained that following the massive defection from the insensitive, deaf and dumb feudal political oligarchy in Benue State, leading to enormous boosting of the political fortunes of the PDP ahead of the 2023 General Elections.
The Chairman further stated that the major demand of Senator Akume in his press conference at which he sold his soul to the Presidency is a declaration of a State of Emergency in Benue State which implies total dissolution of all democratic structures in the state and the foisting of a surrogate government that will pander to his whims and caprices.
He stated that the stooges which the Minister would personally install under an emergency rule would make the purse of the state available for him to dip his hands into it just like he did in the last days of his administration in 2007, when he left Government House with a truck of N2 billion trailing behind him.
Ngbede further explained that For Akume, his political godfather whom he seeks to impress at the detriment of his people, whose crime could be their generous political patronage of making him governor twice and Senator thrice, will not be on the scene to give him the life support of an ineffective and inconsequential ministerial position.
Ngbede dismissed that all the figures quoted by Senator Akume as monies given to Benue State under Governor Ortom is false, for instance, Benue needed N69 billion from the federal government as bailout to offset arrears of salaries, pensions and gratuity, but was only given N28 billion and the claim by Senator Akume that Benue was given N40 billion as bailout funds is outright falsehood.
He stated that Benue people are witnesses to Senator Akume’s acceptance of the inadequacy of the N28 billion to offset the arrears and his passionate explanations of the Governor’s judicious application of the bailout funds at various stakeholders meetings when Governor Ortom was in the same party with him. He went to great lengths, on record, to explain the financial challenges of the state at that time. All this has changed since the Governor left the APC for the PDP.
Sir, John Ngbede PDP Chairman, Benue State addressing media at the party’s Secretariat in Makurdi Headquarters of Benue State.
