Alleged looting: Ortom no longer Governor, can’t speak about governance in Benue

The media aide to former Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Terver Akase, has reacted to the allegation by Governor Hyacinth Alia that there was massive looting of the government house in Makurdi under the previous administration.

Akase said Ortom is no longer the Governor, and so should not be speaking about issues of governance in the State.

Recall that Alia had on Thursday alleged that he met no official car or truck in the government house as they were all carted away.

The statement is coming on the heels of calls by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state that Alia should reverse his decision, which led to the nullification of all last-minute appointments made by Ortom.

However, Akase has clarified that the defunct State Executive Council resolved that government officials of Ortom’s administration should go with their vehicles, insisting it was legal.

Akase spoke with newsmen on Thursday. He said the executive council made the resolution before Governor Ortom left office.

”Well, I don’t work in a government house. I don’t know about that. What I do know is that the Benue State Government executive council, before Governor Ortom left office, made a resolution that government officials of the Ortom administration should leave with their vehicles. So, if the Governor had a car, that is, the former Governor and Exco made a resolution that he should go with his vehicle, that’s a different thing; that is Exco’s decision. I don’t know about all the other things because I haven’t been to the government house since we left. I don’t know the veracity of those things you are saying. All I know is that Exco made a resolution that government officials who worked under the Ortom administration should go with their vehicles. Yes, so if the Governor was using a vehicle at that time and Exco said he should go with it, there is nothing wrong with that; it’s not criminal. It is legal because this is the decision of the Benue State Government.

”I am not the spokesperson for PDP. I only speak for the former Governor. And the former Governor’s reaction is that he is no longer the Governor. Our people say that when you don’t have clues on the close line, you no longer put your hands there. He is no longer the Governor, so he can’t be speaking about issues of governance in Benue State. Governor Ortom prays for the current Governor and wishes him well,” he said.