Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has berated a former state governor, Senator George Akume, for asking him (Ortom) to apologize to President Muhammadu Buhari over his recent remark that the president was involved in an alleged plan to make Fulani people take over) Nigeria.
Akume, who is currently the Secretary of State for Special Tasks, had also called on anti-transplant agencies to “examine thoroughly” Ortom.
Ortom, in turn, asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate Akume’s government in Benue from 1999 when he became governor, claiming that N2 billion missing at the fall of his government had yet to be accounted for. .
In a statement signed by his media assistant, Terver Akase, Ortom mocked Akume and said he was only interested in what he would get from the president.
The statement read in part: “As expected, Senator Akume and his group have avoided responding to the issues of insecurity in the country of which the governor has repeatedly and rightly accused the presidency of complicity.
“George Akume and others’ outing in Abuja was nothing more than a massage on the presidency’s ego to obtain personal favors. As long as he and his group secure their meal vouchers, Benue can go to hell. A media attack on Governor Ortom immediately attracts a package from the Villa.
Akume and his group must have been under tremendous pressure to hold the press conference and insult the governor. They had to do this to keep their jobs.
“The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue, which has lost its grip on party membership in the state with hundreds defecting weekly to the PDP (People’s Democratic Party), now sees an opportunity to make itself relevant again. As a former governor of Benue State, serving two terms, it is shocking that Akume is now calling for a state of emergency to be declared in the state to dismantle democratic structures.
“Isn’t it contradictory that Akume is blaming Governor Ortom for his statements about the President’s handling of the security situation in the country, but continues to brand the governor as a criminal and sponsor of militias? We challenge the minister to provide evidence for his claim that the governor is involved in corruption and sponsors militias.
“We remember when Akume, when he was governor, challenged then-President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo for not doing enough to end the Jukun/Tiv crisis on the border of Benue and Taraba state. He is known to have confronted President Obasanjo and said unkind things to the President. Now he finds it useful to give lectures about respect for hierarchy in government and age.”
“We have no objection to his call for a probe. Governor Ortom has a transparent administration and has nothing to hide. However, we invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to begin their investigation from 1999 when Akume became governor. The N2 billion that went missing in the twilight of his reign has yet to be accounted for.
Akume’s statements in 2019 are still fresh in the minds of the Benue people. After the state was attacked by herders and hundreds were killed, he accused the Benue people of suicide. That the people responded to him by expelling him from the Senate. voices, confirmed their anger towards him.
“Finally, we expected APC to hold the press conference in Benue to test their popularity among the people of the state.”
