Former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has accused his successor, Hyacinth Alia, of poor performance, alleging that the governor is running the state on “lies, deceit and hypocrisy.”

Ortom made the allegations on Tuesday while appearing on Arise Television’s The Morning Show, where he criticised the Alia administration over its handling of governance, development and insecurity in the state.

Alia, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, succeeded Ortom on May 29, 2023, after defeating Titus Uba, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate who had the backing of the former governor.

Although Ortom congratulated Alia after his election and later following his victory at the Supreme Court, he has since become a vocal critic of his successor’s administration, particularly over the security situation in Benue.

The former governor claimed that residents had become aware of what he described as the shortcomings of the current administration and were ready to make a different political choice in the 2027 elections.

“Our people were deceived, and since then, most of them are aware and have decided to move from what they were doing in 2023 to a different thing,” Ortom said.

He challenged residents and visitors to assess the state’s level of development, arguing that increased federal allocations following the removal of the petrol subsidy had not translated into meaningful development.

“But I tell you the truth, in terms of performance, come here and see things for yourself,” he said.

“With the huge resources, courtesy of the removal of fuel subsidy, come and see what is happening. Even the little things we can see in Benue State here, in Makurdi, the capital city, the 22 local governments are left without any impact.”

Ortom further alleged that local government councils were not being allowed to operate effectively or independently execute development projects.

“The local governments that should be autonomous and should be funding their projects are not doing any projects except the government does it. You don’t operate like this,” he said.

The former governor also accused Alia of allegedly witch-hunting political opponents, citing the seizure of 23 vehicles he said were legitimately allocated to him by the state government.

“As I talk to you, after I left office, vehicles that were given to me legitimately by the government, this government went and seized them in a manner that was not befitting. No communication to me was done,” Ortom alleged.

He said he subsequently approached the court and won the case, claiming that the government was ordered to return the vehicles and pay him N5 million.

“I went to court, and we defeated the government, and they were asked to pay me N5 million in addition to returning the 23 vehicles they took away from me, which were legitimately given to me by government,” he said.

Ortom described the incident as evidence of what he called the administration’s disregard for the rule of law.

“What we are witnessing in the last three years, and some months, is that here is a government that does not believe in the rule of law but believes in witch-hunting and running opponents down,” he said.

He also criticised Alia’s approach to accountability, recalling the governor’s pledge to run the government like a church or parish.

“When Reverend Father Alia came on board as governor, he said he was going to run government as a church, as a parish,” Ortom said.

He alleged that the approach had made it difficult for stakeholders to demand accountability from the administration.

“And that is what is happening in the new state. The governor is not accountable to anyone,” he said.

Ortom argued that the Federal Government had provided states with increased resources and that such funds should be reflected in development across various sectors.

“But they are not doing it. And so, people should hold their government accountable,” he said.

“They have refused no stakeholders’ meeting. Nothing happens, and no question is asked. When you ask, they will go after you.”

The former governor also claimed that Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and former Benue governor George Akume had attempted to intervene in the situation, but alleged that Alia remained inaccessible.

“Even those who are working with him cannot access him; talk less of us who are outside to offer advice,” Ortom said.

He further accused Alia of failing to act on advice allegedly given by President Bola Tinubu during the President’s visit to Benue following the Yelewata massacre.

According to Ortom, Tinubu had urged Alia to convene a meeting involving former governors and traditional rulers in the state to find a lasting solution to the security crisis.

“The president said, ‘put heads together. Come and see me in Abuja, and let’s find a lasting solution to this problem’. But as I talk to you today, our governor has refused to summon that meeting,” he claimed.

Ortom said Alia’s alleged refusal to listen to other stakeholders was inconsistent with the principles of democratic governance.

“He doesn’t listen to anybody. He says he’s an independent person. So, it is what he wants that he does,” Ortom said.

Looking ahead to 2027, Ortom expressed confidence that Benue voters had become more conscious of the performance of the current administration.

“This is the dilemma that we are in. And I want to assure you, 2027, this man, people have now known him, that he’s running the state based on lies, deceit and hypocrisy,” he said.

“That is what is happening in Benue today.”