In a statement issued on Saturday by his Media Adviser,
Terver Akase, Ortom described the governor’s recent comments—contained in a
press statement from Alia’s Chief Press Secretary—as “baseless and
diversionary,” saying they were aimed at evading scrutiny over the government’s
financial dealings.

Akase said rather than respond to legitimate concerns raised
by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) regarding the loan approval, the Alia
administration has resorted to attacking Ortom personally. He accused the
governor of exhibiting “growing intolerance for accountability” and “an
obsession with dragging Ortom’s name into every issue, no matter how
unrelated.”

“Each time Governor Alia is confronted with questions
bordering on transparency in governance or the welfare of Benue people, his
reflex action is to attack Chief Ortom instead of providing facts and figures,”
Akase stated.

The statement questioned how the current administration has
managed the huge revenues that have accrued to the state since May 2023,
particularly amid reports of contract awards “without due process or budgetary
provisions.” It cited the ₦68.3 billion road project from Wurukum Roundabout to
the Air Force Base in Makurdi and another ₦73 billion project allegedly leading
to the governor’s hometown in Vandeikya Local Government Area as examples of
questionable expenditures.

Akase accused the Alia government of maintaining “secrecy
around state finances” and failing to explain how public funds are being
managed, despite increased federal allocations following the removal of fuel
subsidy.

He also dismissed the Alia administration’s claims regarding
Benue’s debt profile, describing them as contradictory. According to Akase, the
government’s assertion that it spends ₦7.4 billion monthly on debt servicing is
inconsistent with its own reported debt figures.

“The government has claimed to spend ₦214.6 billion on debt
servicing in 29 months—₦52.5 billion higher than the ₦162.1 billion total debt
it declared,” he said, questioning the figures’ credibility.

The statement further noted that as of May 2023, the Ortom
administration had secured pending federal approvals, including a ₦41 billion
bailout balance, a ₦20 billion CBN facility, and expected refunds from subsidy
and SURE-P deductions. It challenged the current government to explain whether
those funds have been received and how they were utilised.

Akase accused Governor Alia of mismanaging local government
funds, alleging that despite record federal allocations, “not one of the 23
councils has executed a single development project,” unlike under Ortom, when
local governments “actively competed in delivering projects.”

He maintained that Ortom left behind “verifiable records” of
his administration’s finances and projects and called on the Alia government to
publish the official handover documents if it believes otherwise.

Concluding, Akase urged Governor Alia to focus on governance
rather than “vilifying his predecessor,” saying:

“Benue people elected him to serve, not to campaign against
those who came before him. Chief Ortom has moved on with dignity as a statesman
and expects Governor Alia to do better, especially with the resources now
available to the state.”