Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has hit back at the Presidency, tasking them to address the issues he raised.

Ortom in an interview with Channels TV yesterday, accused the Buhari-led administration of providing cover for herdsmen who have been responsible for wanton destruction and killings within the last few years.

However, the Presidency through Garba Shehu hit back in quick fashion, accusing the Governor of stirring a Rwanda-like ethnic campaign against the Fulanis; an allegation Ortom fiercely denies.

PRESIDENCY SHOULD ADDRESS THE ISSUES GOV ORTOM RAISED

We read the statement released by the Presidency in response to Governor Samuel Ortom’s recent interview on Channels Television in which he raised a number of concerns bordering on the worsening security situation across the country.

The tone of the said statement shows the quality of Presidency Nigeria currently has. They abandoned the message and went for the messenger.

To describe as ‘undistinguished’, the career of a man who has held many key positions at the state and national levels proves that those who penned the piece were under the influence of some negative substances.

For the information of Garba Shehu and his cohorts, Governor Ortom rose to become a Local Government Chairman, State Publicity Secretary of National Centre Party of Nigeria; State Treasurer of All People’s Party, State Secretary as well as State Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, National Auditor of PDP, Minister of the Federal Republic and now a two-term Governor.

The Governor spoke the minds of most Nigerians on specific areas of failure of the Presidency and its complicity in the heinous crimes committed against citizens by armed Fulani herdsmen and other terrorists. Instead of taking the Governor on those points, Shehu went chasing vain and mundane matters in a desperate attempt to malign the Governor.

We demand an apology from the Presidency for accusing Governor Ortom of stirring ethnic tensions and calling for genocide. The Presidency has never hidden its hatred for the Governor and its latest outing only confirms that fact.

We are aware of the Presidency’s plot to cause crisis in Benue and make the state ungovernable and declare a state of emergency. Whenever each of their plans fails as it happened with the impeachment attempt on the Governor before the 2019 elections, they resort to cheap blackmail.

They accuse Governor Ortom of making a law to chase Fulanis out of Benue; a claim that lacks substance and only goes to prove that they have not read the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of the state. They can’t justify their narrative that Governor Ortom hates Fulanis when some of his appointees are Fulani.

The Presidency must realize that no amount of blackmail and media attack can discourage the Governor from speaking against the injustice and pain the present government has caused Nigerians. No amount of sponsored smear campaigns against the Governor can force him to repeal the law on open grazing of cattle in Benue State.

We advise the Presidency to focus on ending the killing of innocent Nigerians, fix the economy as it promised and stop the stinking corruption under their watch.

They can’t run away from their responsibility. They were brought to power to serve the country not to oppress the people and suppress their freedom of speech. They are on record to have publicly promised during their campaigns before the 2015 elections that they would respect the rights and freedoms of Nigerians if elected. Sadly, what the people of this country have got from the current government is the opposite of that promise.

Governor Ortom stands by his words that this is not the first time a Fulani man is President of Nigeria, and also that it is the first time the country has been divided on ethnic lines with lopsided appointments in promotion and celebration of nepotism, marginalization and open repugnance of other Nigerians. At no time in the history of this country have impunity, blatant disregard for laws, sectarian as well as ethnic differences been fueled by the government as we now see.

The agenda of the present administration is to Islamize and Fulanize the nation like former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Professor Kunle Olawunmi and other patriotic Nigerians have rightly said.

Governor Ortom urges the good people of this country to call the Presidency to order before it destroy Nigeria. If nothing is done fast to avert the impending disaster, armed herders, bandits and other terrorists will one day take over Aso Rock Villa and those occupying the Villa at the moment will willingly surrender to them and flee from the country.

No day passes without reports of herdsmen and other terrorists killing defenseless Nigerians in parts of the country. The number of displaced people has risen to millions, yet, the Presidency wants everyone to remain silent while the country burns.

Governor Samuel Ortom will not keep mute! Let it be on record that while the Presidency deliberately destroyed Nigeria, someone spoke against the evil.

The Governor believes in the words of Dr Martin Luther King jnr:

“If peace means accepting second class citizenship, I dont want it. If peace means keeping my mouth shut in the midst of injustice and evil, I dont want it. If peace means being complacently adjusted to a deadning status-quo, I dont want peace. If peace means a willingness to be exploited economically, dominated polically, humiliated and segregated, I dont want peace.”

Terver Akase
Chief Press Secretary
August 26, 2021.

Pepper dem

Governor Otom is a proven failure, he has no right to point accusing fingers at anyone, he's a true definition of a retarded vagabond.
Benue state is now a shadow of itself thanks to Governor otom, the terrible roads, bad living condition, poor water supply, etc is a testament to the fact Otom is a bad administrator. His likes are suppose to be arrested and hanged.

We warned Nigerians against voting a known coup plotter cum terrorist. Some useless elements rebranded him as a born-again democratic.


Una eyes don clear now abi?


As many still supporting this bloody government will not go unpunished.

Govs Ortom, Akeredolu and Wike are the only Governors we have presently, others na Sisi

The administration of Buhari has proven to us that we have been taken back beyond twenty years ago with what this government is doing. If not why arresting the prominent presenters?
It is possible to move from one party to other just as Garbage Sheu did from PDP to APC but when the table turn in this country, he will eventually fall out. Shame to dictatorship government.

This one pass me...

Baba is not a coward, Samuel ortom stand by his words....

How it should be. All the other governors are either sucking B00hari's b@lls or are playing politics. Ortom and the people of Benue state, have been at the receiving end of B00hari's feudalist and expansionist tests, so he definitely knows what his people are going through.

The irony is, one of the resident nairaland BMCs, is from the middle belt, the region where his people are slaughtered like cows by f00lanis. The madness is going round and there'll be enough to share for everyone, including the supporters of this despotic and evil regime.

Okay

No wonder Fela sang 'Beast of No Nation'

If this is happening in a democratic government, I can't imagine what the darling Daddy would have done to people during his military reign...my only joy is that I didn't vote for him the 1st and 2nd time

Governor Ortom , na man you be..

God punish buhari and his fulani conspirators..

Its high time we start killing any fulani on sight anywhere we see them..

Jos people contribute money, buy weapons and kill fulani anywhere you see them.

Give them the jukun people of taraba treatment, fulani even abandon their villages when jukun people reason their mater..

AN EYE FOR AN EYE...

Oya kill yourself na .
Shameless Shehu

aryzgreat:
Gov Ortom and Wike are the only Governors we have presently, others na Sisi

Or püssy as$ niggärs according to Samuel L Jackson and Slawomiir

A Terrorist will always support a fellow Terrorist....

Very well said

Good

[img]https://media1./images/8449c89b2a5a67af4d98b99a8e403eee/tenor.gif?itemid=21379361[/img]

you forget to say bubu is trying to bubulize Nigeria too.

Benue people are being slaughtered like rams for sallah..

Buhari has messed up no doubt, but what is Ortom doing about it?

He's being lamenting since the very day he became the governor..

Buhari isn't helping matters in any state in terms of security, some governors are good in managing security in their respective states..

Again, what is Ortom doing regarding the security situation in his state?..

fergie001:
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has hit back at the Presidency, tasking them to address the issues he raised.

Ortom in an interview with Channels TV yesterday, accused the Buhari-led administration of providing cover for herdsmen who have been responsible for wanton destruction and killings within the last few years.

However, the Presidency through Garba Shehu hit back in quick fashion, accusing the Governor of stirring a Rwanda-like ethnic campaign against the Fulanis; an allegation Ortom fiercely denies.




Terver Akase
Chief Press Secretary
August 26, 2021.

War drum dey beat, panla, panla.

Ortom is a tribalistic criminal just like the Fulanis he's wailing about. They both have faults, none is a victim.

This hit home. The stupid folks at the center must be reeling and fuming in anger on how best to get Ortom. They already promised to wait for him at the end of his tenure. Foolish people.

The was a country...

My only fear is that after this lifeless and lived-with-no heart president is done. The damage will take years to recover from. Imagine if someone ignorant and heartless as he is becomes the next president.

Which makes me wonder why are people still fighting to be president of this country.

Thoughts of this country makes me sick
Tuehh

STATEMENT CONCERNING SAMUEL ORTOM, THE GOVERNOR OF BENUE STATE

Governor Samuel Ortom has few political principles. We can see this from the fact that he has changed political party five times during his undistinguished career.

Every time he feels the wind may be blowing in a certain direction, he follows it.

Unfortunately, for the good citizens of Benue State, the most dangerous direction he blows in today is that of sectarianism and ethnicity.

In an attempt to boost his sinking political fortunes, Ortom takes the cheapest and lowest route possible by playing on ethnic themes – and in doing so knowingly causes deaths of innocent Nigerians by inciting farmers against herders, and Christians against Muslims.

Specifically, Ortom stirs up hatred by targeting one single ethnic group in Nigeria – using language reminiscent of the Rwandan genocide.

As was the case in Rwanda where the then Hutu leaders of the country incited their countrymen against each other, claiming there was a “secret Tutsi agenda” over the Hutu, Ortom claims there is a “secret Fulanization agenda” over other ethnic groups in his state and in Nigeria. This is a copy of the language of Hutu Power - which falsely, and intentionally, accused the Rwandan Tutsi of plans to dominate the country.

This wicked talk is aimed at giving cover to his so-called “policy” on the Ranches Establishment Law – which in reality is purely an act of denial of the law - intended to withhold rights and freedoms from one ethnic group alone, whilst inciting race hatred against them amongst all others.

These are not the actions of a man who should be trusted with running public services or holding public office.

For the governor of a major state in Nigeria to be politically driven by ethnic hatred is a stain on our country.

The good, and fair-minded people of Benue State deserve more than this, and we look forward to the next elections when they have an opportunity to restore its greatness.

Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
August 25, 2021

Section 3.12.2: "the broadcaster shall not transmit a program that incites or likely to incite to violence among the populace, causing mass panic, political and social upheaval, security breach and general social disorder"

Section 3.12.2: "the broadcaster shall not transmit a program that incites or likely to incite to violence among the populace, causing mass panic, political and social upheaval, security breach and general social disorder"

Peace is all we want in our nation.
Not anything that will invoke more deaths and violence against any citizen of Nigeria.
Peace shall reign in our nation.
And the enemies of this country will all die painful las las.
They can NEVER escape the brutal and Total judgment coming their way.
A normal, sane Nigerian that doesn’t support violence and killings have no problem in saying AMEN to the below prayer.
But the hypocritical ones will always run away from the prayers, cos they know themselves.
Y'all will never end well in life as long as you keep supporting evil and bloodshed being sponsored by the evil and wicked politicians Y'all wanted back in power.

WhizdomXX:

Watch the interview Boss.
I like Ortom for emphatically stating he's a Christian and a Born again Christian at that �.

Okay.

slimghost:


Your prayers will come to fruition on the heads of all enemies of Nigeria

Amen Amen and Amen in Jesus name.

If SSS are not coward why can't they arrest Ortom? Truth is bitter. May God make the lives of those supporting this power drunk government the same way they have done to this country.