The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Benue state has called for the impeachment of Governor Samuel Ortom over what they described as “illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional maladministration of the Local Government Councils, LGC, in the state.”
Briefing journalists at the party secretariat on Friday, APC State Publicity Secretary, Daniel Ihomun, said the call has become necessary following the nefarious deeds of the incumbent governor regarding the day to day running of the LGCs in Benue
Ihomun said Governor Ortom is presently mismanaging the councils and has adopted measures aimed at totally annihilating the LG system in Benue state by running it as a private business.
He noted while the Nigerian constitution places a duty on state governors 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 enable them carry out their duties accordingly, none of such is happening in Benue.
He said, “It is a sad thing that, Governor Ortom’s undying desire to mismanage local governments in Benue state and run them as his private ventures has made him to disregard every provision of the Constitution on Local Government administration.
According to APC, Ortom did not only fail to conduct democratically free and fair elections as required by Section 7 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) but also failed to direct the chairman to swear in their deputies and the councilors.
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Ihomun said, “The PDP government dubiously handpicked loyalists of the Governor and announced them elected. This singular act is unconstitutional and illegal.
“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 stated 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.
“We wish to submit clearly without mincing words that, Governor Samuel Ortom is aiding corruption. Under his watch, huge sums of money have escaped the state coffers, unaccounted for.
The party which insisted that Ortom’s acts of maladministration and unlawful interference into the smooth running of the local government councils is unforgivable said he must be impeached to save that tier of government from total 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 response, the state government through Governor Ortom’s Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Terver Akase, who described the claims of APC as a distraction said the APC is attacking Governor Ortom to divert attention from his stand against injustice.
Akase said, “The lame distraction by APC in Benue State was expected. The man who read the press conference address was only echoing the statements of the leader of the party in the state, Senator George Akume, who is under intense pressure from the Presidency to sustain the campaign of calumny against Governor Ortom.
He recalled that in 2018, the APC leader, 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.
He said, “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 publish evidence to back their claim that the Governor has turned local governments to his private use and has been diverting funds meant for the councils or spare Benue people of the stress in for the proof.
He said Governor Ortom remains committed to serving his people and standing with them and will neither be discouraged nor distracted by sponsored media assault.
