Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state has taken a swipe at former governor of the state, Senator George Akume and the All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Emmanuel Jime for taking their campaign rally to the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs.
Besides, he asked Jime and leader his party, (Senator Akume) to stop using his name as their ‘blueprint’ to demand votes from the electorates.
Governor Ortom who spoke to journalists against the backdrop of a campaign rally held at the IDP camp by the APC leaders said the duo of Akume and Jime lied to the displaced persons that they were visiting the camp to give them relief materials, only for the IDPs to discover that it was a campaign rally.
Ortom who spoke through his Adviser on Media and ICT, Chief Tahav Agerzua, described the event as unfortunate and stressed the need for people to the state to retire Senator Akume from politics the way former Senate President, Senator David Mark has done in Benue State.
He described the campaign which he said was targeted at people who are already traumatised as “dancing on the graves of those killed during the attacks and as well as mocking the displaced persons by mounting a campaign podium to deliver a sermon about governance at the camp”.
“We watch in disbelief, the political campaign staged at one of the Daudu camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by the All Progressives Congress (APC) which was addressed by Senator George Akume and the party’s governorship candidate, Emmanuel Jime, and wondered why of all places, the duo will chose IDP camps for a political rally”.
“The duo lied to the displaced persons that they were visiting the camps to give them relief materials, only for the IDPs to discover in their dismay that it was a campaign rally”.
“It is on record that the APC governorship candidate since the killings in the state has never made a single statement in condemnation of the series of attacks and killings of Benue people by armed herdsmen. He did not send even one relief material to the thousands in various camps”.
“Where was Jime when the same people he today found useful as voters were being attacked by herdsmen with many killed and others made to sleep in the bush among reptiles and mosquitoes for weeks? Is life all about politics and votes? Did Jime care if those who came under sustained attacks lost their PVCs while running from the marauding herdsmen? Does he care how they feed, clothe and find shelter now?”
Contrary to Jime’s view of what governance is about, “I believe that my people must be alive to vote. what the IDPs in Daudu and the other camps need to hear now is not a campaign slogan but the sound of school bells for their children; the sight of what to eat and what to wear.
The governor regretted why the IDPs who are yearning to go back home and continue with their already shattered lives, after many months of staying in camps could be used to get cheap votes.
“Jime should tell the people what he will do if elected and produce his blueprint to support his presentation, not what he thinks Governor Ortom has not done”.
On allegation by Akume that he has failed to embark on any project since assumption of office, Governor Ortom said his achievements cuts across all sectors, and vowed not to be distracted by the attacks on his person and office from the APC leader and the party’s governorship candidate in the state.
