Address The Killing of Nigerians, Stinking Corruption Under Your Watch, Ortom Tells Buhari

The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, on Thursday requested President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to handle points raised throughout his final week’s interview with the media as a substitute of attacking him.

 

The governor was reacting to the criticism that trailed his latest interview with Channels Tv from the Presidency by way of an announcement issued by his media aide, Terver Akase.

 

Ortom had in a chat with Channels TV described as unconstitutional President Buhari’s choice to approve the overview of 368 grazing reserves in 25 states within the nation.

 

He additionally promised to tug the President to court docket if he pressed forward with the deliberate overview of the grazing reserves.

 

The Senior Particular Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Garba Shehu, who reacted to the remarks in an announcement on Wednesday, accused Ortom of stirring up hatred among the many nation’s ethnic teams.

 

He added that the governor had modified political events 5 instances throughout his “undistinguished” profession.

 

However Ortom challenged the presidency to handle the problems he raised within the interview.

 

He requested President Buhari to finish the killing of harmless Nigerians, repair the economic system and cease the stinking corruption beneath his watch.

 

The assertion learn: “We learn the assertion launched by the Presidency in response to Governor Samuel Ortom’s latest interview on Channels Tv during which he raised various considerations bordering on the worsening safety scenario throughout the nation.

 

“The tone of the mentioned assertion exhibits the standard of the Presidency Nigeria presently has. They deserted the message and went for the messenger.

 

“To explain as ‘undistinguished’, the profession of a man who has held many key positions on the state and nationwide ranges proves that those that penned the piece had been beneath the affect of some unfavorable substances.

 

“For the knowledge of Garba Shehu and his cohorts, Governor Ortom rose to develop into a Native Authorities Chairman, State Publicity Secretary of Nationwide Centre Party of Nigeria (NCPN); State Treasurer of All Individuals’s Celebration (APP), State Secretary in addition to State Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Celebration (PDP), Nationwide Auditor of PDP, Minister of the Federal Republic, and now a two-term Governor.

“The Governor spoke the minds of most Nigerians on particular areas of failure of the Presidency and its complicity within the heinous crimes dedicated towards residents by armed Fulani herdsmen and different terrorists.

 

As an alternative of taking the Governor on these factors, Shehu went chasing useless and mundane issues in a determined try 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 by no means hidden its hatred for the Governor and its newest outing solely confirms that reality.

 

“We’re conscious of the Presidency’s plot to trigger disaster in Benue and make the state ungovernable and declare a state of emergency.

 

At any time when every of their plans fails because it occurred with the impeachment try on the Governor earlier than the 2019 elections, they resort to low cost blackmail.

 

“They accuse Governor Ortom of constructing a legislation to chase Fulanis out of Benue; a declare that lacks substance and solely goes to show that they haven’t learn the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Institution Legislation of the state.

They can’t justify their narrative that Governor Ortom hates Fulanis when a few of his appointees are Fulani.

“The Presidency should understand that no quantity of blackmail and media attack can discourage the Governor from talking towards the injustice and ache the current authorities has prompted Nigerians. No quantity of sponsored smear campaigns towards the Governor can drive him to repeal the legislation on open grazing of cattle in Benue State.

“We advise the Presidency to give attention to ending the killing of harmless Nigerians, repair the economic system because it promised and cease the stinking corruption beneath their watch.

“They will’t run away from their duty. They had been dropped at energy to serve the nation to not oppress the individuals and suppress their freedom of speech.

They’re on document to have publicly promised throughout their campaigns earlier than the 2015 elections that they’d respect the rights and freedoms of Nigerians if elected.

Sadly, what the people of this country have gotten from the present authorities is the other of that promise.”