Akume and Ortom
According to a report by The New Telegraph, the embattled Governor
of Benue State, Dr. Samuel Ortom, has accused his estranged political
godfather and Senator George Akume, of offering N88 million (N4 million
each) to 22 lawmakers in the state House of Assembly to fast-track his
impeachment over allegation of funds misappropriation and enactment of
the grazing law.
Ortom made the accusation yesterday while speaking with journalists
at the Government House shortly after his state broadcast, where he
gave an update on the crisis rocking the state’s House of Assembly and
other challenges of his administration.
The governor, who noted that the lawmakers have rejected the
largesse and reported the development to him, said after that the plan
failed, the next step now by some forces in the state is to ensure the
unleashing of massive Fulani militia to embark on more devastating
attacks and killings in the state.
He said that already, some Fulani herdsmen, carrying over 10,000
cattle have invaded Guma, his home local government, and have started
grazing on people’s farmlands.
“The senator held a meeting with the 22 lawmakers in the state assembly and offered each of them N4 million.
“They were under instruction to move a motion of impeachment
against me in order to destabilise the state for not paying salaries and
enacting the grazing law, but the lawmakers rejected the offer and the
report filtered back to me.
“Having failed to achieve their anti-Benue objectives so far,
the next phase is the unleashing of massive Fulani militia to embark on
more devastating attacks and killings in the state. The most unfortunate
aspect is that some sons of the state, including a serving senator
(Akume) have been recruited and mobilized to lead this phase.”
The governor said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) is currently probing the security votes of the state over
allegations of impropriety, but noted that if the commission really
wanted to do a thorough job, they should start the probe from 1999 when
Akume was governor.
“If the EFCC wanted a genuine investigation of security vote
spending, they should have started from the Presidency right across the
36 states. If their focus was on Benue State, they should have started
from 1999. But this is not the case. With the enormous security
challenges in the state since my assumption of office, it is surprising
that anyone would expect me to do nothing, but keep the security vote in
the safe. The security vote spending being investigated spans from 2015
to 2018, a period of grave security challenges in the state.”
Ortom said he is being persecuted for defecting to the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) and condemned the crisis in the Assembly where 22
lawmakers are being prevented from performing their lawful duties.
Meanwhile, a Makurdi High Court, presided over by Justice Theresa
Igoche, yesterday, retrained the eight suspended members of the Benue
State House of Assembly from proceeding with the impeachment process
they initiated against Governor Samuel Ortom.
The judge also restrained them from sitting and upheld their suspension pending the determination of the Motion on Notice.
“The order also restrains the Chief Judge of Benue State from
receiving or acting on any process or request, issued pursuant to the
purported sitting, proceedings and resolutions of July 30, 2018 aimed at
or commenced for the purpose of removing the governor of the state
pending the determination of the Motion on Notice.”
Justice Igoche upheld the subsisting order that was earlier given
by Justice Adam Onum, Chief Judge of the state, restraining the former
Speaker, Terkimbi Ikyange, and other former principal officers from
parading as same and ordered the security agencies to vacate the
premises of the Benue State House of Assembly.