The Benue State Government has questioned former governor Samuel Ortom over the use of a vehicle registered in his name to convey Peter Obi during the presidential candidate’s recent visit to Makurdi.
The issue was raised by Governor Hyacinth Alia’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, at a press briefing at the Benue State Government House on Friday.
Kula said preliminary findings by the state government showed that the Toyota Land Cruiser used to convey Obi from the Makurdi Airport had registration number GWA 608 BT and was linked to Ortom through Federal Road Safety Corps records.
According to him, the vehicle registration details listed Ortom as the owner, with an address in Judges’ Quarters, Makurdi.
The disclosure came days after Obi’s convoy was blocked by youths while he was on his way to Yelewata, where he had planned to visit families affected by the 2025 killings in the community.
Kula questioned the political implication of Ortom making his vehicle available to Obi, particularly because the former governor had publicly declared support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
“The question is, how can someone who publicly says he is working for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu make his vehicle available for the use of another presidential candidate?” Kula asked.
The governor’s spokesman further alleged that Ortom remained politically active in Benue despite his stated support for Tinubu and linked him to the emergence of former Attorney-General of the Federation, Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, as the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the state.
Kula also accused the former governor of trying to retain political influence in the state through political allies and proxies, while criticising Ortom’s eight-year administration.
The comments followed the controversy surrounding Obi’s visit, during which the former Anambra State governor said his convoy was stopped by youths as he travelled towards Yelewata.
Read: Go Back — How Peter Obi Was Chased Out of Benue During Visit to Yelwata Bandit Attack Victims
The Benue State Government had earlier denied having anything to do with the blockade, saying it was not aware of Obi’s visit and would not use thugs to handle security concerns.
In an earlier response to the incident, Newsmaxng reported that Kula said Obi, as a presidential candidate and former governor, should ordinarily have had adequate security arrangements for his movement.
“Peter Obi is a presidential candidate of a political party and a former two-term governor. He is not a small man in this country. He is supposed to be prepared for and given adequate security,” Kula said.
He added that Governor Alia’s administration did not promote thuggery and would not deploy youths to stop Obi.
“Governor Alia does not promote thuggery in Benue State. If Obi is a threat to him, or maybe he felt that Obi’s coming would cause a problem for him, the right thing to do is to get legitimate security operatives to do the needful and not to gather youths or send them to go and block him,” he said.