Former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has criticised his successor, Governor Hyacinth Alia, describing him as a “hypocrite” and vowing to expose alleged wrongdoing in the current administration.
Ortom made the remarks on Tuesday during an interactive session with journalists at his residence in Makurdi.
He was reacting to a report by a probe panel that accused his administration of failing to account for N139.8bn during his eight-year tenure.
Ortom said, “As from today, I am going to be exposing this government (Alia administration) for its hypocrisy, outright looting of the state resources and evils committed against the people of the state and the ceding of our land to foreigners.”
He said he had decided to speak out after years of silence, arguing that remaining quiet would amount to accepting the allegations against him.
“So many lies have been said against me. After three years, I concluded that if I remain silent it will amount to admittance, so I need to defend myself and let the world know that what Alia is doing is pure persecution,” he said.
Ortom also challenged Governor Alia to a public debate to compare the performance of their respective administrations based on available resources.
He further called for unity in Benue politics, noting that his earlier political hostility with Senator George Akume had been resolved.
According to him, he now recognises Akume as his political leader and has chosen to work with him in the interest of the state.
He said Nigeria’s challenges require leaders to prioritise development over party loyalty.
In response, Governor Alia, through his Chief Press Secretary Kula Tersoo, dismissed Ortom’s claims and insisted that the current administration was not engaging in a witch-hunt.
He said the government had a responsibility to review handover notes and investigate any financial gaps discovered.
He added that Ortom’s administration had previously subjected its predecessor to scrutiny, questioning why Ortom now opposed similar actions.
Alia said, “Handover notes are meant to be studied. When you study them and discover lapses and gaps, you are bound to invite a legitimate authority to help you unravel the grey areas.”
The governor also alleged that his administration inherited significant debt and financial liabilities, including garnishee orders running into billions of naira.
He accused the previous administration of poor financial management and governance failures, describing it as a period of serious mismanagement.
Both leaders have continued to trade accusations over alleged mismanagement and governance failures in the state.