Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has accused his predecessor, Chief Samuel Ortom of been behind the allegation of his romance with tribunal judges to influence the outcome of the PDP’s suit in favour of the All Progressive Congress, APC.
Governor Alia’s indictment of the former governor came following an alarm by the PDP that he (Alia), was desperate at ensuring that his election, which is currently being challenged at the tribunal by PDP’s gubernatorial candidate in the last election, Rt. Hon. Titus Uba, must not be upturned at the court.
Governor Alia during the weekend, attended the one year remembrance mass in honour of late Prince Paeke Shepnaan, son of the President Court Of Appeal, Hon. Justice Monica Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem, in Shendam Local Government Area of Plateau State, a development that triggered suspicion by the PDP of a plot to seal a deal with the judges to ensure that the APC coasts to victory at the end of the case at all cost.
But Governor Alia, in a swift reaction, accused former governor, Ortom of being an architect of the allegation which he indeed described as untrue and laughable.
“It is laughable how the PDP has now shifted its hopes to the Tribunal, even after they were roundly defeated at the polls.
“The confidence the Benue PDP state Publicity Secretary now expresses makes us wonder what has changed, a few months after the party was thrown out of government by the Benue people for incompetence. Or are they looking for an illegal avenue to return to power, divert and warehouse more government properties like they did before?
“The same set of people that were more efficient in self-enrichment and self-aggrandisement while in power but could not deliver dividends of democracy to the people of the state, now seem to have every solution about governance.
“The same Ortom team while in government, acted confused by the complexity of the problems affecting the people of the state, including the security of lives and property of the people. The party and its leader ran out of ideas and they simply gave up on governance. The Benue civil servants and pensioners cannot forget in a hurry, the chokehold they experienced during that time”.
Governor Alia said in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Tersoo Kula that “the major area of excellence of the PDP was primitive accumulation, yet could not transfer those skills to improve the lives of the Benue people.
“A party like this lacks the moral high ground to question an administration that has not spent up to two months in office.
“Governor Alia and the judiciary must be spared this form of crude desperation and confusion. The law profession and the judicial arm of government are noble”.
