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By Emmanuel Antswen
Makurdi, June 20, 2026 (NAN) The immediate past governor of Benue, Chief Samuel Ortom, has rejected the report of the state Income and Expenditure Commission of Inquiry and described it as a politically motivated witch-hunt.
Ortom’s position was contained in a statement issued on Saturday in Makurdi by his media assistant, Mr Paul Zege, in reaction to the submission of the commission’s report to the Benue Government.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Income and Expenditure Commission of Inquiry had on Friday submitted its report to Gov. Alia after investigating the finances and activities of the immediate past administration.
The former governor said the exercise was not a genuine accountability process but a predetermined effort by the administration of Gov. Hyacinth Alia to indict his predecessor.
He argued that the probe process remained the subject of legal challenges and should not have proceeded while related matters were still pending before the courts.
According to him, the state government had earlier constituted two separate probe panels to investigate his administration, but those panels were challenged in court and subsequently dissolved before a new commission was established.
Ortom maintained that the current commission was also served with notices arising from pending legal proceedings questioning its legitimacy.
He further stated that there was a subsisting matter before the Court of Appeal scheduled for hearing on June 29, while an appeal filed by the state government at the Supreme Court over the constitutionality of the probe panels was yet to be determined.
“It is astonishing that a government which has voluntarily submitted itself to the jurisdiction of the courts would proceed as though those judicial processes do not exist,” he said.
The former governor accused the Alia administration of attempting to use the report as a diversion from pressing governance challenges confronting the state.
He cited insecurity, the plight of internally displaced persons, industrial disputes in the education sector and concerns over the management of public resources as issues requiring greater attention.
Ortom alleged that the current administration had made his government the focal point of its public communication strategy, blaming it for various challenges facing the state.
He insisted that the financial activities of his administration were conducted in accordance with established laws and procedures, adding that government accounts were subjected to statutory audits and budgets were regularly presented and approved.
The former governor said he remained confident that no amount of political pressure or propaganda would alter the facts regarding his stewardship.
He urged the people of Benue to view the commission’s report as an attempt to divert attention from the performance of the current administration.
Ortom also challenged the Alia administration to account for resources that had accrued to the state since May 2023, arguing that accountability should begin with those currently in office. (NAN)
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