Former Governor Samuel Ortom has rejected the report of the Benue State Income and Expenditure Commission of Inquiry, which alleged a ₦139.8 billion discrepancy in the state’s finances between 2015 and 2023.
The eight-member commission, chaired by retired Justice Jubril Idrisu, submitted the report to Governor Hyacinth Alia on Friday in Makurdi, concluding a year-long investigation into the finances of the immediate past administration and the state’s 23 local government councils.
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Presenting the report, Mr Idrisu said the commission examined financial records and conducted public hearings involving former government officials and institutions.
According to him, the state generated more than ₦826.5 billion during the period under review, while expenditure stood at about ₦683.4 billion, leaving an alleged unaccounted balance of ₦139.8 billion.
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“The Commission’s findings revealed significant concerns in the management of public finances during the period under review,” Mr Idrisu said, adding that the funds should be recovered from persons found responsible.
The commission also reported questionable loan transactions involving local governments and financial institutions, including cases in which loan repayments allegedly exceeded the original amounts borrowed without adequate documentation.
It further recommended stronger financial controls, including proper authorisation of electronic transactions and an end to the use of blank pre-signed mandates.
Receiving the report on behalf of Governor Alia, Deputy Governor Sam Ode said the administration remained committed to transparency, accountability and institutional reforms.
Mr Ode expressed confidence that implementing the recommendations would strengthen governance institutions and discourage the mismanagement of public funds.
The commission was inaugurated in June 2025 as part of Governor Alia’s broader efforts to review the finances of previous administrations. The exercise followed earlier probe panels whose legality became the subject of court disputes.
However, Mr Ortom rejected the report less than 24 hours after its submission, describing the inquiry as “fundamentally flawed, legally challenged and politically motivated.”
In a statement issued by his media aide, Terver Akase, on Saturday, the former governor said the probe was designed to indict his administration regardless of the facts.
“What the people of Benue witnessed was not an exercise in accountability. It was the culmination of a carefully scripted political witch-hunt designed from the outset to indict the government of Chief Samuel Ortom at all costs,” the statement said.
Mr Ortom questioned the legitimacy of the inquiry, noting that previous panels established by the Alia administration were challenged and dissolved following legal disputes.
According to him, an appeal challenging the legality of the current commission is scheduled for hearing on 29 June, while the state government has also approached the Supreme Court regarding earlier court decisions on the probe panels.
“It is therefore astonishing that a government which voluntarily submitted itself to the jurisdiction of the courts would, in the same breath, proceed as though those judicial processes do not exist,” he said.
The former governor further accused the Alia administration of using the probe to deflect attention from pressing governance issues, including insecurity, the condition of internally displaced persons and industrial disputes in the education sector.
“Whenever questions are asked about the over N1.3 trillion that has accrued to Benue State under the present administration, Governor Alia and his appointees quickly blame Ortom,” the statement added.
Mr Ortom maintained that all financial transactions during his tenure complied with established procedures and were subjected to statutory audits and legislative oversight.
The latest exchange deepens the political rivalry between Mr Alia and his predecessor, which has shaped much of Benue’s political discourse since the current administration assumed office in May 2023.
The dispute also comes amid ongoing tensions within the state’s political establishment, including recent contests over party primaries, governance reforms and the management of public resources.
