It is quite sad that at the moment, former Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom has taken to a pastime of consistently sponsoring vile attacks on the Governor of Benue State.

More saddening, he has now metamorphosed into questioning, suspecting and making innuendoes on anyone, including highly respected Nigerians and revered institutions Alia is seen close to.

It is shameful that “a would-be lawyer” has availed himself to be used to denigrate his senior colleagues and the same profession he so cherishes and wishes to practice.

It is a fact that the law profession is noble and those who wish to practice it must hold it in very high esteem.

The insinuation contained in yet another vile attack on the judiciary for allowing Alia to attend a memorial mass for the late son of the President of the Court of Appeal, Hon Justice Monica Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem is unfortunate.

That the President of the Court of Appeal can be easily bought by a mere appearance at her son’s memorial service?

But many Benue people will agree here that, since the return of democracy in 1999, the APC led administration has refused to interfere in the affairs of the judiciary, regarding electoral matters.

The same Ortom sponsoring negative publicity here and there won his re-election in 2019, and despite his consistent vile attacks on the person of the Buhari led administration, the law was allowed to take its course.

His victory was affirmed by the courts. This would not have happened if it were in the years the PDP held sway at the centre.

But the APC administration did not interfere and has continued to do so. Or did the party also play a-behind-the-scene–roles to ensure Ortom’s victory was affirmed by the courts?

The memorial service in honour of late Prince Paeke Shepnaan, the son of the President Court of Appeal, was attended by prominent Nigerians including four serving Governors, former Governors as well as Senators.

Governor Hyacinth Alia was at that event to also represent the Progressive Governors’ Forum just like Sayi Makinde represented NGF.

Is Ortom and his team saying the other Governors at the occasion have no cases at the tribunal?

The irony of it all is that some of the well-meaning Nigerians that attended the service, are friends of Samuel Ortom, the leader of the PDP in Benue State.

Should we say Wike and Makinde were also there to frolic with the President of the Appeal Court on behalf of Ortom and the Benue PDP?

It is laughable how the PDP has now shifted its hopes to the Tribunal, even after they were roundly defeated at the polls.

The confidence the Benue PDP state Publicity Secretary now expresses makes us wonder what has changed, a few months after the party was thrown out of government by the Benue people for incompetence. Or are they looking for an illegal avenue to return to power, divert and warehouse more government properties like they did before?

The same set of people that were more efficient in self-enrichment and self-aggrandisement while in power but could not deliver dividends of democracy to the people of the state, now seem to have every solution about governance.

The same Ortom team while in government, acted confused by the complexity of the problems affecting the people of the state, including the security of lives and property of the people. The party and its leader ran out of ideas and they simply gave up on governance. The Benue civil servants and pensioners cannot forget in a hurry, the chokehold they experienced during that time.

Their major area of excellence was primitive accumulation, yet could not transfer those skills to improve the lives of the Benue people.

A party like this lacks the moral high ground to question an administration that has not spent up to two months in office.

Governor Alia and the judiciary must be spared this form of crude desperation and confusion. The law profession and the Judiciary arm of government are noble.

Save for the con-artists under the sponsorship of a heartless looter of Benue’s common patrimony, who else will come out to splash trash at anyone, especially, a respected personality like a Governor of a state for attending a solemn event of a highly respected personality like

Hon. Justice Monica Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem simply on the ill-considered ground that she is President Court of Appeal.

Sir Tersoo Kula

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Benue State.

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