N139.8bn Controversy: Renewed campaign against Ortom beyond accountability – Group

A group known as Alliance for Truth and Justice (ATJ) in Benue state, has described the renewed campaign against the immediate past Governor of Benue State, Chief Samuel Ortom, by his successor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, over the alleged missing N139.

The group’s President, Aloysius Gbakaan, in a statement made available to newsmen in Makurdi, said the move is no longer about accountability but about “finding a convenient scapegoat after three disappointing years in office.

The group said after carefully examining the facts surrounding the controversy, “we have reached one unavoidable conclusion: Chief Samuel Ortom is right.

“The Alia administration is persecuting Ortom because it has failed to convince Benue people with its own record.

“Three years into an administration is not the time to keep blaming the past. It is the time to defend your own performance. That is where the Alia government has a problem.

The group said nearly three years after assuming office, the Alia administration should focus more on addressing critical issues such as insecurity, the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), infrastructure development, agriculture, healthcare and education, rather than repeatedly revisiting controversies surrounding the previous government.

The group said “Even more disturbing is the manner in which this alleged N139.8 billion has been pursued.

They noted that “Chief Ortom has explained that the investigative panels became subjects of litigation. He says the Court of Appeal faulted the process adopted by the lower court, after which the Alia administration itself went to the Supreme Court. Then, mysteriously, it abandoned that appeal and resorted to another panel and a media trial.”

They insist that accountability should be pursued through established legal channels rather than through media campaigns.

According to them, “Chief Samuel Ortom is not asking to be shielded from accountability. He is demanding due process and insisting that allegations be tested before competent courts rather than in the media.”

ATJ said as political activities ahead of future elections begin to gather momentum, the state government should give residents explanations on governance outcomes, service delivery and solutions to the state’s pressing problems.