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.

Even the current Commission whose report was presented today was served with notices arising from pending legal proceedings challenging the legitimacy of the exercise.

More importantly, there is a subsisting matter before the Court of Appeal on the same issues, with hearing scheduled for June 29, 2026. 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.

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

He therefore urges the people of Benue State to see that phantom 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.

Rather than weaponizing probes against the previous government, the Alia administration should account for the ₦1.3 trillion that has accrued to it in the last three years. Accountability begins with explaining your own record, not attacking others.

Signed:

Zege Paul Terhide
Media Assistant to Chief Samuel Ortom
June 20, 2026