Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom
Former Benue State Governor, Chief Samuel Ortom, has dismissed the report of the state Income and Expenditure Commission of Inquiry, describing it as a politically motivated witch-hunt aimed at tarnishing his administration’s record.
Reacting through his media aide, Paul Zege, on Saturday in Makurdi, Ortom said the commission’s findings were not the outcome of a genuine accountability process but a predetermined attempt by the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia to indict him.
He argued that the probe should not have continued because legal challenges questioning the legitimacy of the commission and earlier investigative panels are still pending before the courts.
According to Ortom, previous panels set up by the state government to investigate his administration were challenged in court and later dissolved before the current commission was established.
The former governor noted that a matter concerning the probe is scheduled for hearing at the Court of Appeal on June 29, while a related appeal by the state government remains before the Supreme Court.
“It is astonishing that a government which has voluntarily submitted itself to the jurisdiction of the courts would proceed as though those judicial processes do not exist,” he said.
Ortom accused the Alia administration of using the report to divert public attention from pressing issues such as insecurity, the welfare of internally displaced persons, industrial disputes in the education sector and concerns over public spending.
He maintained that his administration followed due process in managing state finances and challenged the current government to account for resources received since May 2023.
