Former Benue Governor Ortom accuses successor Alia of deflecting from mismanagement claims with personal attacks.

Former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has accused his successor, Governor Hyacinth Alia, of using personal attacks to deflect from allegations of financial mismanagement, including unexplained spending, contracts awarded without proper process, and a lack of transparency around state revenues and debt servicing. Ortom’s team questioned the use of funds from a recently approved ₦100 billion loan, highlighted discrepancies between reported debt payments and declared debt levels, and demanded clarity on previously secured funds, including a ₦41 billion bailout balance and a ₦20 billion CBN facility. They also noted no major development projects have been completed across Benue’s 23 local governments since May 2023, contrasting with Ortom’s tenure, and urged Alia to release official handover documents and focus on governance rather than targeting former officials.