The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State has warned its members to stay clear of the stakeholders meeting convened by the state Governor, Samuel Ortom.
A statement tagged, “Benue APC Not Party To Ortom’s Ineffectual Stakeholders’ Meetings Anymore,”signed by the Caretaker Publicity Secretary, APC, Benue State, Mr. James Ornguga, the APC said they will not come so as to enable Governor Ortom to satisfy his crave to canonize himself and demonize President Buhari and the APC.
“We warn all APC members to steer clear of these so- called stakeholders’ meetings that are manifestly intended to legitimize the governor’s unholy TV outbursts; the new dimension he has adopted to launch his 2023 campaigns as well as cover up his many failings.
“It has come to our nonplussed notice that the Ortom administration has hurriedly extended invitations to some Benue APC stakeholders, requesting them to attend a veiled meeting on Monday August 30, 2021 in Government House, Makurdi.
“This is not the first time our party members have received such invitation from the present day Benue State Government but we are particularly apprehensive about the recent grandstanding of Governor Samuel Ortom and his team, especially now that they are quick to malign and castigate the federal government for failing the Benue people without presenting proofs of the governor’s love for the state which should manifest through a credible scorecard of overwhelming tactile projects.
“While we have shown understanding with the Ortom government in the past, even as the opposition by donating for free, ideas that would improve the state, it is now dazzling that such good ideas are not implemented and the administration is purely fixated on trivialities thereby, programmed to fail such that nothing on earth could alter its course.
“The governor clearly having failed to live up to the basic requirements of his leadership mandate, has resorted to baseless blame games and media denigration of President Muhammadu Buhari who up till now, has more verifiable projects in Benue than the governor.
“With this conspicuous crave by the governor to canonize himself and demonize President Buhari and the APC, we warn all APC members to steer clear of these so- called stakeholders’ meetings that are manifestly intended to legitimize the governor’s unholy TV outbursts; the new dimension he has adopted to launch his 2023 campaigns as well as cover up his many failings,” the party said.
While the party said it cannot continue to expend workable ideas on a government that honestly lacks policy direction and is merely clutching at straws hence, the party said it shall not hesitate to apply sanctions against any recalcitrant member found at the meeting.
The APC in Benue further said it is not on the same page with Governor Samuel Ortom in his mindless billingsgate against President Muhammadu Buhari and the party is diametrically opposed to his cunning privatization agenda which is a conscious step towards putting the final nail in Benue’s underdevelopment coffin.
In a swift reaction, Governor Ortom, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, said he has no problems with the decision of the party to stay away from government events.
He said when he took over leadership of the state, he promised to be the Governor of every Benue person who will at all times make them part of policy formulation, decisions and programmes of government, a promise he has kept till date.
“If APC in Benue State has great ideas to help the state to grow, as it claims, the stakeholders meeting offers the party ample opportunity to present its “good ideas” for the benefit of the state.”
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He noted that the absence of the party from the Benue stakeholders meeting will neither affect the meeting nor stop the deliberations and implementation of resolutions that will be made at the forum.
“The opposition party should rather commend the Governor’s magnanimous disposition to involve it in government functions despite the daily insults they hurl at his person and office.
“If APC cares so much about Benue people that it now grandstands over invitation to a meeting meant for development of the state, what has the party done to alleviate the suffering of over one million people displaced in the state as a result of herdsmen attacks?
“We just hope that APC’s emotion-laden statement to boycott the stakeholders meeting is not borne out of the recent defection of thousands of its members into Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Benue State. If their reaction is a result of the mass decampings, it is unfortunate but understandable.
The Governor assured that his administration will continue to address challenges confronting the people and involve them in all government decisions.
The stakeholders meeting was still in progress as at the time of filing this report.
