…PDP Assembly caucus pays Ortom solidarity visit, knocks new APC govt

…Those who are not witches should not be scared of witch-hunt — Fr. Alia

By Titus Atondu, Makurdi

Ongoing contention between the new All Progressives Congress led government and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue has heightened following allegations and counter allegations of corruption.

On Wednesday the Governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Alia, in reply to criticisms that his government is on a witch hunt on the immediate past Governor, Samuel Ortom, said Benue People who are not witches should not to be scared of witch-hunt.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir. Tersoo Kula, Alia reminded  Ortom and the PDP that the committee of assets recovery was not alien to Benue State.

“We have read with dismay, contradictory statements from Mr. Terver Akase, a media aide to the former Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, and also from the State Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party in Benue State, Mr. Bemgba Iortyom, wherein they both accused the Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Alia’s administration of harassing and witch-hunting Samuel Ortom.

“We can recall that during the June 22nd, 2023 inauguration of the Assets Recovery Committee by His Excellency, Rev. Fr. Alia, the Governor had charged the committee not to witch hunt anyone, but to stop at nothing to legitimately recover all lands, vehicles, houses, furniture and other machines wrongly taken away, sold and kept in the wrong hands,” he stressed.

According to him, Ortom was not and has never been the target, as his aide and the Publicity Secretary of his party would want the unsuspecting mass of Benue people to falsely believe in a bid to curry undue public sympathy.

He explained that the discovery and recovery of numerous vehicles at a private building within the State capital by the committee is an indication that they have truly swung into action.

He said, “In fact, all patriotic Benue citizens should be happy, and must commend the Committee for daring to carry out the assignment given to them by the government without fear or favour, operating strictly in line and within the remit of their terms of reference.

“Ortom had set up and supervised similar committees, shortly after he was sworn into office in 2015. Government assets were allegedly recovered from certain individuals at the time, including from his predecessor, Sen. Gabriel Suswam.

“Should we now say the Ortom-led administration was equally on a mission to harass or witch hunt his predecessor?

“Sadly, to desperately defend callousness, Mr. Akase has, in his official statement described the building where the vehicles were recovered as ‘a commercial automobile workshop operated by London Lines Transport Ltd,’ while Mr. Bemgba on the other hand, in his official statement for the party stated that, the place is ‘a private automobile workshop owned by Gov. Ortom’s business concern, Oracle Business Ltd.’ I truly sympathise with them here. This is a clear case of double-speak and a feeble depiction of desperation to defend the indefensible.

“The questions begging for answers are: who truly owns the automobile workshop? Is London Line Transport Ltd a sister or cousin enterprise to Oracle Business Ltd?

“Does former governor Ortom own both companies? Can we see papers apportioning proprietary rights to owners of the cars taken from the workshop?” he questioned.

He noted  that one thing for sure is “that Benue people were surprised to see the number of cars recovered at a property belonging to someone they once held in trust.

“We witnessed a regime that supervised broad-day robbery and rape of our common patrimony. Let it be made abundantly clear that the old order is gone, and gone for good.

“The good thing is that the discovery and retrieval of more Benue assets currently in the wrong hands, will provide the right ground for accountability in the Alia led administration in the state.

“We do not believe Ortom is the proverbial witch and as such he is being ‘hunted’ as his spokespersons would want the public to believe. Someone should ask him not to be bothered even if Alia has come to witch hunt,” he said.

…Atiku lacks moral ground to accuse anyone else of corruption — Ortom

Meanwhile as the row over corruption allegations get controversial, Ortom has said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar lacks the moral ground to accuse anyone else of corruption.

Ortom in a statement by his Media Aide, Terver Alas also revealed that the words of Atiku’s erstwhile principal, former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who described him as a very corrupt man have remained indelible and incontrovertible.

The statement made available to journalists on Wednesday read, “We read a statement credited to the former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, claiming that the immediate past Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom and his colleagues in the G-5 worked against him during the last election but have ongoing corruption cases at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) and are being protected by President Bola Tinubu.

“We are not sure that the Special Assistant on Public Communication to the PDP presidential candidate got his consent before making the statement; because if he did, he would have refrained from blaming the G-5 for his loss at the polls.

“Alhaji Atiku Abubakar ought to be worried more that he has gone into history as the first presidential candidate of a leading political party to be rejected by key stakeholders including five sitting Governors and many other members of his party. The question that should bother him is, why did the G-5 and other members of the Integrity Group reject his candidacy? The group stood for justice, equity and fairness that the 2023 presidency must go to the southern part of the country and Nigerians saw the indisputable facts contained in the position of the Integrity Group and voted for a presidential candidate from the south.”

He stated that Atiku was angry because Governor Ortom and his colleagues in the G-5 refused to be used by him as ‘Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs)’ to circumvent and thwart the resolve of Nigerians to produce a President from the southern region.

Akase stated that another reason for Atiku’s attack on Chief Ortom is because of the former Benue State Governor’s boldness to speak truth to his face and rebuke him for making unstatesmanlike comments regarding the killing of Benue people by Fulani herdsmen.

“Atiku is on record to have expressed bitterness towards Ortom for daring to enact a law to prohibit open grazing of livestock in the state,” he said.

He stated that the former Vice President’s diatribe against Chief Ortom “can therefore be understood as the manifestation of frustration for losing the 2023 election and his failure to humble himself and unite the PDP, opting to remain haughty even when the signals were clear that he was heading for defeat summarized his performance in the last election.”

“Atiku Abubakar’s name was among names sent to us. Up to that time EFCC had enjoyed a close cooperation and collaboration with law enforcement agencies in the UK and the USA. I gave the green light to Nuhu for the investigation as requested by the authorities and forwarded his report to the USA. The report was uncomfortable and unsavoury about Atiku and his associates. I thought it was bad enough that the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was under investigation for corruption, when my Administration had made fighting corruption one of its cardinal objectives. As it turned out, the investigation in Nigeria and in the US led to Atiku’s house being searched by the US Bureau of Investigation (FBI). It was so embarrassing for our Administration and Embassy in Washington,” he revealed.

PDP Assembly caucus pays Ortom solidarity visit

Meanwhile, amidst opposition, the PDP Caucus in the Benue State House of Assembly on Wednesday paid a solidarity visit to Ortom, following impoundment of his vehicles by the Assets Recovery Committee of the present administration.

Speaking on behalf of all the members during the visit, leader of the Caucus and member representing Adoka-Ugboju State Constituency, Hon. Michael Audu condemned the action of the Alia administration, describing it as unwarranted persecution of the former Governor.

Hon. Audu stated that the assault on Chief Ortom was unacceptable, illegal and should be condemned by all people of good conscience.

“Your Excellency, we are here to reaffirm our loyalty to you as our leader. Any attack on you is an attack on all of us PDP members in the State Assembly, and we will not fold our arms to watch this impunity continue,” he stated.

The PDP Caucus urged Governor Hyacinth Alia to restrain his team from further harassment of the former Governor and allow the matter to be decided by the court.

Responding, Chief Ortom appreciated the PDP Assembly Caucus for the solidarity and encouraged them to sustain the spirit of oneness and their commitment to the PDP.

He pointed out that he was not the first Governor to leave office with vehicles allocated to him after the State Executive Council had given approval for him to do so.

Chief Ortom said he was being persecuted unfairly but he would not hold grudges against his tormentors as he has chosen to leave them with their conscience.