…… Accuses the Gov. of harbouring resentment
By Uche Nnorom, Makurdi
Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has challenged Governor Hyacinth Alia to an open debate on the finances of the state amid allegations that his administration failed to account for over N139 billion.
The challenge follows the submission of a report by the Income and Expenditure Committee set up by Governor Alia in June 2025 and chaired by retired Justice Jubril Idrisu. The committee alleged that the Ortom administration left N139 billion unaccounted for.
Speaking with journalists at his Makurdi residence on Tuesday, Ortom dismissed the allegations as a political vendetta and an attempt to blackmail him.
He challenged Governor Alia to a public scrutiny of their respective financial records.
“Let him bring his account books for the past three years, and I will bring mine for eight years. From today, I will hold this government accountable. Enough is enough of this blackmail,” Ortom declared.
The former governor accused Alia of using him as a scapegoat to avoid explaining how funds received by the state over the last three years had been expended.
According to him, the governor has continued to focus on attacking his predecessor instead of addressing governance challenges in the state.
Ortom further claimed that Alia still harbours resentment because he had advised him in 2023 to concentrate on his priestly duties instead of pursuing the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“There is so much hypocrisy, outright misappropriation and an attempt to make us slaves on our own land. My silence has been misconstrued, but this is persecution,” he said.
Defending his eight-year administration, Ortom said he inherited N72 billion in liabilities, including seven months of salary arrears, and borrowed N10 billion to clear part of the debt.
He maintained that by the time he left office in 2023, he had paid salaries for 91 out of 96 months and left behind five months of unpaid salaries, amounting to about N38 billion, alongside N117 billion in contractual obligations.
The former governor also said his administration implemented projects across various sectors, granted autonomy to local governments and ensured due process in governance.
“I challenge anyone to come out and say that I or any member of my family embezzled public funds. My wife and I have appeared before the EFCC and ICPC several times, and we are ready to do so again,” he stated.
Ortom alleged that Governor Alia had received about N1.3 trillion from the federation account in three years without corresponding development across the state.
He also accused the governor of receiving N23 billion that was meant for his administration.
“The hurried submission of the Income and Expenditure Committee’s report was a witch-hunt because there was an Appeal Court judgment restraining the committee from sitting. It is a diversionary tactic to avoid accounting for the N1.3 trillion received by this government,” he said.
The former governor urged Alia to embrace constructive criticism and convene a stakeholders’ meeting to address the state’s challenges.
“We are at our best when there is peace,” Ortom added.
Governor Alia’s administration is yet to officially respond to Ortom’s latest allegations.
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