Between APC and PDP: What Ortom told Benue election tribunal

POLITICS

Between APC and PDP: What Ortom told Benue election tribunal

Gov Samuel Ortom on Wednesday filed his defence before the Governorship, National and State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Makurdi.

Ortom, through Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General Mr Michael Gusa, raised preliminary objections and asked the court to strike out the petition.

“The petition should be dismissed because we are saying that it lacks merit and so it should be dismissed”, Gusa said.

“In fact in the first instance, we have seen a lot of infractions against the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, so we have raised preliminary objections that the case be dismissed and also gone ahead to attack the petition on the merit “.

The lead counsel, Mr Sabastine Hon SAN, said the governor filed his defence within time and has fulfilled his statutory duty of attaching all the document he would be relying on in the course of the case.

Hon who defended the governor at the tribunal over the 2015 election said that the two cases have some striking similarities, although the circumstances are slightly different.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Emmanuel Jime of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had filed the petition challenging the re-election of Ortom.

In the disputed election, Ortom of the PDP polled 434,473 votes to defeat Jime who scored 345,155 votes.

Jime’s counsel, Mr Sunday Ameh urged the tribunal to upturn Gov Ortom’s victory and declare Jime the winner of the 2019 governorship elections having scored the highest number of lawful votes.

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Gov. Ortom gives assurance on public service reforms

POLITICS

Gov. Ortom gives assurance on public service reforms

 

The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has assured the state of public service reforms.

Ortom gave the assurance after receiving the report of the state Public Service Reform Committee at the state’s Government House on Wednesday.

He commended the committee for what he termed “meticulous work done” as contained in its findings and recommendations.

Assuring that his administration would be guided to a better public service in the state by the findings of the committee, the governor said he was not surprised by the manner the committee carried out its assignment in view of the calibre of seasoned serving and retired technocrats paraded.

Ortom promised that his administration would judiciously implement the committee’s recommendations.

The Committee, which was set up by the governor, urged the State Government to compel its agencies to strictly account for their internally generated revenue receipts or face sanctions.

It also recommended the scrapping of government agencies which have remained dormant and not added value to the economy of the state.

It decried the trend where some agencies generate revenue but fail to adequately remit such accruals to government accounts.

The Committee also encouraged the State Government to hasten the process of establishing the state’s Information and Communications Technology Development Agency in order to address challenges of e-governance.

Former Head of Service in the state, Chief Theophilus Azaagee, who presented the report on behalf of the chairman of the committee, recommended the establishment of Benue State Bureau of Public Service Reform and the conversion of College of Education Oju or Katsina-Ala to a faculty of Education under the Benue State University.

Other recommendations included, merging of Government Technical College Makurdi and Business Engineering and Skills Training Centre, BEST, with Government College Makurdi.

The committee also commended the Ortom administration for initiating the process for a Contributory Pensions Scheme in the state and encouraged the government to expedite action on the matter.

The Committee made recommendations in other areas such as education, health as well as local government and chieftaincy affairs.

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Herdsmen Killings: Gov. Ortom Orders IDPs, Go Home, Defend Yourselves With Stones

​BREAKING NEWS

Herdsmen Killings: Gov. Ortom Orders IDPs, Go Home, Defend Yourselves With Stones

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, on Tuesday told the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, to go home and use stones to defend themselves.

Ortom explained that he was tired of keeping IDPs in camps over the uncontrollable killings in the state.

He, therefore, charged residents to embrace self-defence.

The governor said this during his visit to the displaced persons after armed herdsmen attacked Naka, Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State.

This was after the Chairman, Gwer West Local Government Council of Chiefs, Chief Daniel Abomtse said that 24 persons were killed on Thursday’s attack on Mbapa, Mbapupuu, Mbachohon, and Enger, all in Agagbe District in Gwer-West LGA.

He said, “David in the Bible used ordinary stone to defeat his enemy, it is now time for you to stay at home and use the stone in your homes to defend yourself instead of running away.

“I believe in the rule of law, equity and fairness, but I cannot continue to keep IDPs and l can’t afford to have another IDPs in Gwer West. This must stop. We must stop truncating the future of our younger generation.

“When we allow laws to be violated and nobody takes action, it then allows for impunity and when you give room to impunity, it will result to anarchy which will in turn breed a lawless society.

“Therefore, we the citizens must rise up to support the security agencies by way of providing lawful and necessary logistics such as information, equipment and financial support to back up their operations.

“Just yesterday (Monday), a soldier was killed in Guma, security agents are not spared. Security challenges are enormous. The gruesome murder of 24 people by Fulani herdsmen is quite condemnable.

“Time has come if you are willing to live in Benue State, you must be ready and willing to be law abiding.”

The governor added that the state government was working with traditional rulers and other necessary organs of government to strengthen the vigilante team so as to give it full legal backing that would enable the group assist the security personnel in curbing criminal activities in the state.

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Gov. Ortom Of Benue State Reacts To Danjuma's Self Defence Comment

​BREAKING NEWS

Gov. Ortom Of Benue State Reacts To Danjuma's Self Defence Comment

Governor of Benue State on Monday reacted to the statement by former minister of defence, retired Gen. T. Y. Danjuma that Nigerians should defend themselves from possible attacks by aggressors.

NAIJA VOICE had reported that Danjuma, while speaking during the weekend at the maiden convocation ceremony of Taraba state University in Jalingo, urgedNigerians to defend themselves against ethnic cleansing.

According to him, it was regrettable that the Nigeria Army was no more neural in the fight against terrorism in the country.

Reacting, Ortom said the statement making the rounds was a misrepresentation of Danjuma’s statement.

He stated this after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday.

Ortom said “I’m not sure that if you listened to him very well. It is a misrepresentation of what the former minister said.

“He did not tell anybody to take up arms. He only said that people should protect themselves.

“Of course, you know that self-preservation is the first law of nature.

“You can’t just wait in your house and allow someone to come and kill you. You can resist the person, but you don’t necessarily need to have arms. I think that was what the minister was saying.

“There is need for people to arise to defend themselves not necessarily using weapons that are banned. You can use a stick and disarm someone.

“Some years ago, I was able to disarm armed robbers with seven AK 47 without anything. I think that is the kind of thing he is trying to say. Nigerians should rise up to do this.

“Security matters are not just left in the hands of security men, it requires every one of us to put our heads together and be courageous to be able to surmount it,’’ he said.

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