The political atmosphere in Benue State has grown tense again. Former Governor Samuel Ortom has accused his successor, Governor Hyacinth Alia, of running the state on what he called “lies, deceit and hypocrisy.”
Ortom governed Benue from 2015 to 2023. His latest remarks add to a rivalry that has simmered since Alia took office in May 2023.
Money is at the centre of the dispute. Alia’s administration says it spends about N7.4 billion monthly servicing debt inherited from Ortom’s tenure, totalling over N21.4 billion in the first quarter of 2025 alone.
Ortom rejects that analysis. He points to Benue receiving over N1.3 trillion under Alia, compared to N817 billion during his own eight years, boosted by the removal of the fuel subsidy. He also criticised Alia for raising the governor’s unilateral spending limit from N50 million to N250 million.
Another flashpoint involved 23 vehicles seized from Ortom shortly after he left office. His officials described the seizure as lawful. Ortom called it a witch hunt, though the Benue High Court later dismissed his suit as speculative.
Security remains a sore point too. Alia claims his government ended the mass killings that defined Ortom’s final years. Ortom disputes this, citing continued attacks in Ukum, Logo and Katsina-Ala.
Alia’s camp has a billboard for its own record, including the recruitment of 9,700 teachers, clearing salary arrears, and shutting down substandard schools within its first two years.
Ortom has also accused Alia of ignoring a Supreme Court ruling that grants local governments financial autonomy.
Beneath the accusations is the familiar tension of two administrations offering competing accounts of the same state. Benue’s residents, meanwhile, continue to face insecurity, economic pressure and infrastructure gaps that neither camp disputes.
For now, the exchange between Ortom and Alia shows no sign of slowing, and each fresh statement pulls Benue’s political rivalry deeper into public view.