Ortom fires back at Atiku over EFCC invitation over corruption allegation

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… denies having been protected by President Tinubu

Former Benue State Governor Chief Samuel Ortom on Wednesday dismissed what he called ‘baseless blackmail’ and ‘cheap blackmail’, an allegation pinned against him by the defeated PDP presidential candidate , Alh. Atiku Abubakar that he and his G-5 colleagues worked against him in the last election, but ongoing corruption cases at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are being shielded by President Bola Tinubu.

Chief Ortom, in a statement released by his media assistant, Mr. Terver Akase, said that if Atiku had consented to such a statement by his special assistant on public communication, emphasizing that if he had done so, he would would have refrained from blaming the G-5 for its defeat at the polls.

The ex-governor said Alhaji Atiku Abubakar should be more worried about having made history as the first presidential candidate from a prominent political party to be rejected by key stakeholders, including five sitting governors and many other members of his party, pointing out that what should bother him is why the G-5 and other members of the integrity group rejected his candidacy?

“The (G-5) group has stood for the justice, fairness and fairness that the 2023 presidency must go to the southern part of the country and Nigerians have seen the indisputable facts contained in the position of the integrity group and voted for a presidential candidate from the south.

“Atiku is angry that Governor Ortom and his G-5 colleagues refused to be used by him as Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) to circumvent and thwart the Nigerians’ resolve to produce a President from the Southern Region.

“Another reason for Atikus attacking Chief Ortom is the audacity of the former Governors of Benue State to tell the truth to his face and reprimand him for making inhumane comments regarding the killing of the people of Benue by Fulani herders. Atiku is known to have expressed his bitterness towards Ortom for daring to enact a law prohibiting the free grazing of cattle in the state.

“The diatribe of former vice-presidents against Chief Ortom can therefore be understood as the manifestation of frustration at having lost the 2023 elections.

“His failure to humble himself and unite the PDP, choosing to remain haughty even when the signals were clear he was headed for defeat summed up his performance in the last election.

“The role of anti-corruption agencies is to investigate allegations of corruption. Every time they invite someone, that person must honor the invitation. As a man who believes in the rule of law, Chief Ortom willingly visited the EFCC when the Commission sought clarification on the actions of his administration,” Ortom said.

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