JUST IN: I’ll not engage in media war with your administration — Ortom tells Alia

The immediate past Governor of Benue state, Chief Samuel Ortom has assured that he would not partake in a media war with the present administration despite repeated unprovoked attacks on his person.

The former Governor also made it clear that he had served his term and it is incumbent on those now in power to strive to meet the yearnings of the people and desist from throwing mud at him.

He was reacting in a statement issued Tuesday in Makurdi by his Media Aide, Terver Akase to a statement credited to the lawmaker representing Benue North East Senatorial District, Senator Emmanuel Udende who was alleged to have blamed the enforcement of the Benue grazing by the last administration for the security challenges in the state.

The reaction was also in response to what the former Governor termed “unprovoked attacks” on his person by Governor Hyacinth Alia through his media aide.

The former Governor urged those in government who were always quick to cast aspersions on him to dedicate that energy to governance in order to deliver on their promises to the people.

The statement read in part, “the attention of the immediate past Governor of Benue State, Chief Samuel Ortom has been drawn to a statement credited to the Senator representing Benue North East Senatorial District, Emmanuel Udende who attributed the continued security challenges in the state to the enforcement of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law by the previous administration.

“In the same vein, the state Governor, Hyacinth Alia, through his media aide, for the umpteenth time, launched unprovoked attacks on Chief Ortom, describing the former Governor in several deprecatory terms.

“Chief Samuel Ortom will not board the train of insults with Governor Alia’s aides or partake in a media war with the present administration.

“We advise the government of the state and the Senator representing Benue North East that they were voted to serve the people. If there is any action the Ortom administration took which they consider not good enough, they now have the mandate of the people to do better.

“Consistently blaming the former Governor will neither solve the problem nor bring development to the state.

“Chief Ortom played his part as Governor of Benue State and has left the stage. Governor Alia and his team should focus on fulfilling their promises to the people.”