Benue state Governor, Samuel Ortom, has vowed to sue the Minister for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Senator George Akume, for levelling several allegations of killings, misappropriations and several others against his person.
The Governor stated this on Wednesday while briefing journalists in Government House, Makurdi.
Ortom who was reacting to allegations raised by Senator Akume during a press conference in Abuja, last Monday, said “the Minister for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Senator George Akume levelled several allegations of killings and several others against me. I do not want to join issues with him. But I have the mandatory right to put the records straight.
“What he has done is really unfortunate. It amounts to betrayal, back stabbing, double crossing, and selling out of Benue people, treachery, greed, unfaithfulness and falsehood.”
The Governor who described the Minister’s allegations as mere lies pointed out that Akume wants to secure his meal ticket from his paymasters.
“I am taking Senator Akume to court for him to come and prove all those allegations he levelled against me. All those things he said were all lies. I have not done anything outside the laws of our land. On resources, I have not done anything outside the budget. The figures he was calling were all lies but he would go and prove it in court.
“I am a law abiding citizen so I have chosen the honourable way so as not to join issues with him, otherwise I would have talked about his misdeeds while he served here as governor of Benue state.
“But what pained me is that he was a human being who served two terms as Governor and Senator for three terms representing Benue North West senatorial district where the majority of the people affected by these terrorist activities of herdsmen where his constituents who also voted him as Governor.
“But no time has he visited the IDPs camps in Benue state. No time has he risen as a Minister to condemn all the killings in the state. But they are not God. We are taking all the proactive steps with all the security agencies to secure our people.
“For me, he will prove all his allegations before a law court for the world to know who is saying the truth.I will not be deterred. I remain committed to the people that gave me their mandate to lead them. My first commitment is to the people, all politics is local. My locality is Benue state and not Abuja.
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“I know that as a Federation, we complement each other; the federal, state and local governments. So to send the message to the entire world, I decided to do something so that Akume will justify or prove all those allegations that he put out to defile me and give me a bad name to hang me.
“I am aware of his betrayal and to ensure commission and crisis in Benue state so that his so called state of emergency will be declared. I am not even sure that Akume is conversant with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He attempted to impeach me in 2018 but by the grace of God the people of Benue state floored him. And he performed abysmal and lost his senatorial election.
“The people of Benue state rejected him and all the people he put forth to contest election. Today I am seated here, my Deputy is here courtesy of Benue people.
“The party I contested election on its platform, the PDP have three senatorial seats, we have seven House of Representatives members out of 11, we have 22 State Assembly members more than a quorum out of 30 members. So where is Akume with his cohorts? All of them are looking for meal ticket,” he added.
