Benue State Government has described the text of press conference held in Abuja on Monday, August 30, 2021, by the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Senator George Akume and other All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders from the state as a smear campaign against the governor, Samuel Ortom.
In a press statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Terver Akase, the government said that Senator Akume and his group were just trying to evade response to pervading security issues in the state particularly and the country in general, which had been making Governor Ortom to repeatedly accuse the presidency of complicity.
“The outing of George Akume and others in Abuja was nothing more than a massage on the ego of the Presidency to curry personal favours. As long as he and his group secure their meal tickets, Benue can go to hell. A media attack on Governor Ortom instantly attracts a package from the Villa,” the statement read.
It further said that “Akume and his group must have been under intense pressure to hold the press conference and hurl vituperation against the Governor. This, they had to do to keep their jobs.
“The leadership of APC in Benue, having lost grip of the party membership in the state with hundreds defecting to PDP every week, now see a window of opportunity to relaunch themselves into relevance.
“As a two-term former Governor of Benue State, it is shocking that Akume is now calling for the declaration of state of emergency in the state to dismantle democratic structures.
“Is it not contradictory that Akume faults Governor Ortom over his statements on the President’s handling of the security situation in the country, but goes ahead to brand the governor as a criminal and sponsor of militia? We challenge the Minister to provide evidence to back his claim that the Governor is involved in corruption and sponsors militia.”
It recalled that when Akume was a governor, he challenged the then President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo for not doing enough to end the Jukun/Tiv crisis on the border of Benue and Taraba states.
He was said to be on record to have confronted President Obasanjo and passed uncomplimentary comments on him.
“Now, he finds it convenient to give lectures on respect for hierarchy in government and age,” it was said in the statement.
On Akume’s call for a probe, the state government said that it had no objection to it, as Governor Ortom was said to be running a transparent administration and had nothing to hide.
“We however invite Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to begin their probe from 1999 when Akume became Governor. The N2 billion that went missing at the twilight of his administration is yet to be accounted for.
“Akume’s utterances in 2019 are still fresh in the minds of Benue people. After the state came under herdsmen attacks and hundreds were killed, he accused Benue people of killing themselves. That the people responded to him by voting him out of the Senate confirmed their anger towards him.
“Lastly, we expected APC to hold the press conference in Benue to test their popularity among the people of the state,” the CPS concluded in the statement.
