New twist emerged on Friday over the revelation by the Benue State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, that the immediate past governor of the state, Samuel Ortom, looted the Government House and carted away all official vehicles.
Ortom’s Special Adviser, Terver Akase, said on Friday that his principal, his deputy and all his appointees did no wrong by going away with their official vehicles. He said it was a tradition for such top government officials to leave with their vehicles.
Alia’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, said in a statement on Thursday that the former governor looted the government house leaving no vehicle for him.
The statement partly read, “The PDP looted Government House to a point that the new government under governor Hyacinth Alia, met no single car or truck in government house. The governor’s visits to agencies and parastatals have uncovered the highest level of rot ever witnessed in the history of Benue State”.
Saturday PUNCH’s findings showed that the former governor had in his convoy no fewer than 12 vehicles. They include two front pilot vehicles, Press Crew bus, two official sport utility vehicles and other back-up vehicles.
While going outside the state capital, the convoy vehicles always include an ambulance, a Coaster bus and several others.
It was gathered that a day after inauguration when the new governor entered the Government House, only one coaster bus was left behind, while others had been carted away.
Confirming this to our correspondent on Friday, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary affirmed that only one coaster bus was left behind.
Tersoo said that due to the manner the former governor looted everything at the Government House, the press crew had no vehicle to join the governor for official tours. “In fact, the official trip the governor made to Vandeikya last Sunday, we had to hire a vehicle to convey Government House press crew from the Internal Revenue Service,” Tersoo said.
When asked what the government planned to do, he said the government had not arrived at any decision on the looted vehicles.
Meanwhile, Ortom’s aide, Akase, said the state executive council under his principal approved that appointees should go with their official vehicles.
In a statement on Friday, Akase stated, “On the issue of vehicles, the present administration may wish to be informed that it was the decision of the Benue State Executive Council that government officials including the governor and his deputy be given waivers to enable them to go with the official vehicles allocated to them.
“Governor Ortom, therefore, did nothing unlawful by leaving office with the official vehicles allocated to him. It is a tradition that an outgoing governor leaves with vehicles given to him. Perhaps, we should add that the Ortom administration offered to buy vehicles for the incoming government but the present governor declined, saying that he would prefer to buy vehicles for his administration after the inauguration.”
