All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole launched a tirade against Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State yesterday, claiming that the governor is partly responsible for the security challenge in the state.
He also accused the governor of non-performance and aggravating the level of poverty among his people.
But Ortom, who dumped the APC on Wednesday, fired back immediately.
He said Oshiomhole appeared to know more about the killings in Benue and was hiding the truth from Nigerians.
He threatened to sue the APC chair for disparaging him.
In firing the first salvo yesterday, Oshiomole had said Ortom’s exit is a blessing in disguise for the APC after all.
He told reporters in Abuja that contrary to claims by the governor about the killings and general security situation in the state, Ortom was partly responsible for the problem.
“Governor Ortom has complicated, by his own actions and poor judgement, the security situation in the state,” he said , citing reports by APC leaders in Benue State.
“They drew our attention to the fact that some of those that have been arrested as a result of the killings are people who have been associated with him, including people in his employment, especially a guy known to have been involved with Boko Haram, whom he recruited to manage what they called forest guards.
“These people have been arrested and are in police custody. If an appointee of a governor is involved in a heinous crime, including killing, that will be enough for a governor to worry about.
“Instead, he played up the ethnic dimension of criminality, even though some of those killed were killed not by Muslims but Christians of Benue State origin, including those he employed.
“These people have been in police custody; so, his attempt to explain away criminality by playing the ethnic card is unhelpful to what he should do as governor to manage the situation better.
“After all, those in Benue State have always been there and his predecessors, including Suswam, had found ways to manage these diversities. So, Ortom’s incapacity to manage it and even seeking to make political capital of the death of Benue people is unfortunate.
“It is important that Nigerians understand that the condemnable killing of two Reverend Fathers and some Christians in a church, those who have confessed to these crimes include people who have worked with Gov. Ortom and these killings were done few weeks after one of them was extremely critical during his sermon about the governance of the state and the style of governance of the Governor.
“His price obviously was to pay with his dear life and not a few thought that the governor would celebrate that. I am not about to suggest that Gov, Ortom might have asked anybody to go and kill anyone, but that some of those involved in these killings are Benue State originated are Christians.
“That is not to deny that some herdsmen have also been involved in the killings. But the responsibility of any government is not to seek to manipulate this, but to confront it.
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