The Benue state government and the All Progressives Congress, APC, Benue state chapter, have engaged in war of words over the latter’s demands that the incumbent Governor Samuel Ortom be impeached.
The APC, on Friday, had called for the impeachment of Governor Ortom over what they described as “illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional maladministration of the Local Government Councils, LGC, in the state.”
The APC State Publicity Secretary, Daniel Ihomun, during a briefing with journalists, said the Governor Ortom is presently mismanaging the councils and annihilating the LG system in the state by running it as a private business in total disregard to the provisions of the Constitution on Local Government administration.
He said the Nigerian constitution places a duty on state governments to ensure the smooth running of local governments in their various states, including conducting free and fair elections, to elect both the Executive and Legislative arms and ensuring that the elected officials are duly inaugurated and sworn into office to carry out their duties accordingly.
But according to APC, Ortom failed in conducting a democratically free and fair elections as required by Section 7 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) saying “The PDP government dubiously handpicked loyalists of the Governor and announced them elected. This singular act is unconstitutional and illegal.”
Ihomun further said, “Most questionable is the fact that, even although, Governor Ortom has inaugurated his so-called Local Government chairmen, he has failed to direct his chairmen to swear-in their deputies as well as the councilors representing the various Council Wards in the various Local Governments in Benue State.”
He feared that the absence of the councilors comprising the legislative arm of the LGs will make it easier for members of the Ortom’s administration to embezzle funds meant for the running of those local governments and divert same into their personal pockets.
The party alleged that Governor Ortom is aiding corruption saying his acts of maladministration and unlawful interference into the smooth running of the local government councils if allowed to fester might make that tier of government to go into extinction
Ihomun said, “We therefore call upon the Benue State House of Assembly, to forthwith and without more, initiate impeachment proceedings against Governor Samuel Ortom. When Ortom is ruthlessly shown the exit door out of Government House, only then would sanity return to Benue.”
In a swift response, Governor Samuel Ortom’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Terver Akase, described the claims of APC as a distraction saying the APC is attacking his administration to divert attention from his stand against injustice.
Akase recalled that in 2018, the APC leader, George Akume, using only eight out of 30 members of the Benue State House of Assembly, sponsored an impeachment move to remove the Governor after he had dumped the party and chose to stand with Benue people in the face of repeated attacks on the state by herdsmen.
“Their outing was also an attempt to divert attention from the plethora of problems facing the APC in Benue State arising from their yahoo yahoo primary elections which aftermath is the court cases instituted by aspirants of the party, as well as their deepening crisis over the choice of a deputy governorship candidate.
“We expected APC to address the confusion within their party and not raise infantile allegations over local government administration. A party that thrives on imposition and marginalization while abhorring justice and equity lacks the moral standing to question anyone on accountability.”
On allegation that Governor Ortom has been mismanaging local government funds, Akase challenged APC to back their claim with evidence that the Governor has turned LGs to his private use and has been diverting funds meant for the councils or spare Benue people the stress of searching for the proof.