Benue Governor Alia Seized 23 Vehicles Legitimately Allocated To Me But I Defeated Him In Court — Ex-Gov Ortom
Benue Governor Alia Seized 23 Vehicles Legitimately Allocated To Me But I Defeated Him In Court — Ex-Gov Ortom
The former governor made the allegations on Tuesday morning while appearing as a guest on Arise News.
Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has accused Governor Hyacinth Alia of using state power to witch-hunt political opponents, alleging that the administration seized 23 vehicles legitimately allocated to him after he left office.
Ortom said he challenged the seizure in court and defeated the state government, which he said was subsequently ordered to return the vehicles and pay him N5 million in damages.
The former governor made the allegations on Tuesday morning while appearing as a guest on Arise News.
He accused the Alia administration of undermining the rule of law and deliberately targeting political opponents and critics.
“We are yet to get it right in Benue State as far as some of us are concerned,” Ortom said.
“You will recall that democracy is anchored on the rule of law. And that is what defines democracy.
“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, believes in running opponents down.”
Ortom said the seizure of the vehicles was carried out without prior communication to him.
“As I talked to you, after I left office, vehicles that were given to me legitimately by government, this government went and seized them in a manner that was not befitting,” he said.
“No communication to me was done. I went to court and we defeated government. And they were asked to pay me five million in addition to returning the 23 vehicles they took away from me, which were legitimately given to me by government.”
The dispute over government vehicles dates back to the early months of the Alia administration.
In June 2023, shortly after taking office, Governor Alia established a committee to recover government assets allegedly taken away by officials of the immediate past administration.
The committee was mandated to trace state-owned vehicles, land, houses, furniture and other government property.
In July 2023, the committee seized more than 30 vehicles and Hilux vans from an automobile workshop along the Makurdi-Otukpo Road. The exercise generated a political confrontation between the new administration and officials and associates of Ortom.
The recovery exercise also triggered litigation.
In one of the cases, businessman Emmanuel Viashima sued the Benue State Government, Governor Alia and other officials, alleging that 32 vehicles removed from his premises did not belong to the former governor. He sought N5 billion in damages.
The vehicle controversy subsequently became one of the most visible symbols of the bitter political relationship between Ortom and his successor.
Ortom’s latest account, however, is that 23 of the vehicles seized from him were legitimately allocated to him and that a court ultimately ordered their return and awarded him N5 million in damages.
Ortom also accused the governor of creating an atmosphere in which critics and elders are allegedly attacked by supporters of the administration.
“Another incident of a no-Alia, no-Benue,” he said.
“You recruit Turks, they insult elders, they insult statesmen, they insult everybody that tried to do constructive criticisms so that we’ll be better off for what we are.”
The former governor further alleged that the Alia administration had failed to convene a broad-based stakeholders’ meeting involving political parties since coming into office.
“There is no single stakeholders’ meeting across party lines since this government came in,” he alleged.
“This state belongs to us. What is happening?”
The claim comes amid Alia’s own recent political engagements across the state. In June, for instance, the governor’s administration received a delegation of traditional rulers, elders and community leaders from Oju II, while his August political tour also featured engagements with traditional rulers, religious leaders and political stakeholders.
