Ex-gov Ortom rejects Alia’s N139.8bn probe report, says it’s a desperate witch-hunt

From Gabriel Agbo,  Makurdi 

The immediate past Benue State Governor, Chief Samuel Ortom, has rejected the recent probe report by his successor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, accusing him of misappropriating over N139.8 billion, describing the said report as  a desperate witch-hunt of his administration.

The Benue State Income and Expenditure Commission of Inquiry constituted by Governor Hyacinth Alia in 2023 to probe the  administration of former governor Samuel Ortom had on Friday  submitted it findings, where it alleged that over N139.8 billion was unaccounted for by the then government of  Ortom from 2015 to 2023.

The chairman of the probe panel, Justice Jubril Idrisu, while submitting the report to the governor at Government House Makurdi on Friday, said records showed that the state generated over ₦826.5 billion in revenue, while expenditure stood at about ₦683.4 billion,  leaving  an unaccounted balance of approximately ₦139.8 billion, which the commission recommended should be recovered from persons identified as responsible.

Reacting to this development on Saturday, Chief Ortom stated that the report was just  a mere moves by Alia to distract Benue people from his three years of failed governance.

He  therefore dismissed the report, describing it as a desperate attempt to confer legitimacy on a process that is fundamentally flawed, legally challenged, and politically motivated  that compels a response.

The former governor who spoke through a statement issued by his Media Aide, Mr. Zege Paul on Saturday and made available to newsmen in Makurdi, challenged Governor Alia to come out openly and account for the over ₦1.3 trillion that has accrued to the State under the present administration since 2023 to date and stop playing  blame game.

Parts of the statement reads:

"The attention of the immediate past Governor of Benue State, Chief Samuel Ortom has been drawn to the fanfare surrounding the submission of the report of the so-called Benue State Income and Expenditure Commission of Inquiry to the Benue State Government.

"Ordinarily, Chief Ortom would have ignored yet another episode in the Hyacinth Alia administration’s continued obsession with his predecessor’s government. However, the desperate attempt to confer legitimacy on a process that is fundamentally flawed, legally challenged, and politically motivated compels a response.

"Let it be stated clearly that what the people of Benue witnessed today was not an exercise in accountability. It was the culmination of a carefully scripted political witch-hunt designed from the outset to indict the government of Chief Samuel Ortom at all costs.

"The public may recall that the Alia administration initially constituted two probe panels to investigate the immediate past administration. Those panels became the subject of legal challenge, and notices were duly served on the government. Rather than allow the courts to determine the issues raised, the administration dissolved the original panels and constituted a new one under a different name".

The statement further noted that even the current Commission whose report was presented on Friday was served with notices arising from pending legal proceedings challenging the legitimacy of the exercise, while there is a subsisting matter before the Court of Appeal on the same issues, with hearing scheduled for June 29, 2026.

Zege Paul urged the Alia administration to account for the ₦1.3 trillion that has accrued to it in the last three years rather  than weaponizing probes against the previous government, stating that accountability begins with explaining one own record, not attacking others.

 "In addition, the Benue State Government itself approached the Supreme Court to challenge an Appeal Court decision that nullified the constitution of its probe panels established to investigate the previous administration. The matter appeal remains pending before the apex court.

It is therefore astonishing that a government which voluntarily submitted itself to the jurisdiction of the courts would, in the same breath, proceed as though those judicial processes do not exist. This conduct betrays a disturbing lack of confidence in the judiciary and amounts to executive rascality of the highest order".

Rather than await the outcome of matters pending before competent courts, Governor Alia and his administration chose to abandon the path of law and embark on a media spectacle intended to achieve through propaganda what they have been unable to achieve through due process. The timing of this so-called report is not accidental.

"After three years in office, Governor Alia’s administration has little to showcase in terms of tangible achievements. Faced with mounting public concerns over insecurity, the plight of internally displaced persons, declining public confidence, industrial disputes in the education sector, and questions surrounding the management of enormous financial resources that have accrued to the state between May 29, 2023 and now, the government has resorted to making the Ortom administration the centrepiece of its governance agenda.

"Whenever questions are asked about the over ₦1.3 trillion that has accrued to Benue State under the present administration, Governor Alia and his appointees quickly blame Ortom.

"Whenever the administration struggles to explain its performance after three years in office, it blames Ortom. Whenever insecurity worsens and communities continue to suffer attacks, the Alia government blames Ortom. Whenever public dissatisfaction grows, it blames Ortom.

"Indeed, no week appears to pass without Governor Alia or his appointees launching one media attack or another against the immediate past Governor.

"The unfortunate reality is that Governor Alia has become more interested in prosecuting media battles against his predecessor than in addressing the serious challenges confronting Benue State. Accountability cannot be achieved through predetermined conclusions. Justice cannot emerge from a process whose outcome was written long before the first witness was called", he said.

According to him, Chief Ortom remains confident that the financial activities of his administration were conducted within the framework of the law and established governmental procedures.

 "Under Ortom watch, government accounts were subjected to statutory audits annually which were published in several national newspapers, budgets were regularly presented and passed, financial records were maintained by relevant institutions, and government transactions were conducted through established public service structures.

"The former Governor has nothing to hide and he remains proud of his record in office and remains committed to the rule of law. He has absolute confidence that no amount of political persecution, propaganda, or manufactured reports can alter the facts of his administration’s stewardship", the media Aide said.

He however called on the people of Benue State to see  report for what it truly is: a desperate attempt to divert attention from the failures of the current administration and a politically motivated campaign targeted at a predecessor whose only offence is having served the state before Governor Alia.