I’m Not Like You; I Can’t Abandon my People – Ortom Replies Plateau Governor

Eniola Olayemi

Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has said he would never be like Plateau State Governor; Simon Lalong whom he alleged let herdsmen butcher his people and deny that no one has been killed.

Ortom said this in reaction to comments by Lalong at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally in Makurdi, Benue State that he (Ortom) was using imaginary clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the state to excuse his poor performance.

The Benue governor said he would not join issues with Lalong, who he alleged has abandoned his people to their fate for the sake of political correctness.

“I was elected by my people and I will always stand by them at any given point. I will not deny my people even if I am not the governor of the state again. I will always stand by my people and do anything that will protect them. So I want to tell the Plateau State governor to go and face his issues where his people are being butchered every day by herdsmen but he has abandoned them to their fate,” Ortom said.

Similarly, Ortom debunked allegations by Senator George Akume (APC – Benue North West) that he has militarised the state with the employment of AK-47 rifle-wielding livestock guards who are killing people at will.

He said that anyone thinking of using federal might to take over the state would fail woefully.

In the same vein, Ortom accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government of selective anti-corruption war.

The governor said, “Anybody that is talking about federal might in Benue is just deceiving his or herself, because here in Benue, I am also the state might.

“Akume during his eight years as governor of the state embezzled N2 billion and the case is with the EFCC, but because he is a member of APC nobody is prosecuting him.

“Did I do wrong to create employment for Benue youths? I was a billionaire before I became governor, even Akume himself knows, so calling me the richest governor, is giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it.”