Ortom to Presidency: Address the Issues I Raised, Demands Apology From Garba Shehu
- Governor Samuel Ortom has faulted the response by the presidency to the comments he made in a recent interview
- The Benue state governor said the presidency should address the issues he raised in the interview instead of attacking his person
- The governor also demanded an apology from Mallam Garba Shehu, the presidential spokesman who issued the statement
Makurdi - Governor Samuel Ortom has responded to the verbal attack directed at him by the presidency after he accused the Buhari administration of being complicit in the recent killings across the country in a recent interview.
The Benue state chief executive said instead of launching an attack on his person, the presidency should focus on the issues he raised and address them immediately.
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Part of the statement which was sent to Legit.ng by the governor's spokesman, Terver Akase, read:
“We read the statement released by the presidency in response to Governor Samuel Ortom’s recent interview on Channels Television in which he raised a number of concerns bordering on the worsening security situation across the country.
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“The tone of the said statement shows the quality of presidency Nigeria currently has. They abandoned the message and went for the messenger.
“To describe as ‘undistinguished’, the career of a man who has held many key positions at the state and national levels proves that those who penned the piece were under the influence of some negative substances.
“The governor spoke the minds of most Nigerians on specific areas of failure of the presidency and its complicity in the heinous crimes committed against citizens by armed Fulani herdsmen and other terrorists.”
The governor demanded an apology from the presidency for accusing him of stirring ethnic tensions and calling for genocide.
Governor Ortom advised the Buhari administration to focus on ending the killing of innocent Nigerians across the country, fix the economy, and stop the stinking corruption under its watch.
The statement added:
“The agenda of the present administration is to Islamize and Fulanize the nation like former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Professor Kunle Olawunmi and other patriotic Nigerians have rightly said.”
The presidency had earlier accused Governor Ortom of stirring up hatred by targeting an ethnic group.
Mallam Shehu said this in a statement released on Wednesday evening, August 25.
The presidential spokesman also said the governor's statement is an attempt to boost his sinking political fortunes.
Meanwhile, Channels Television has been queried by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) after the station conducted the interview with Governor Ortom.
According to the commission, Governor Ortom's comments were inciting, divisive, and unfair.
In a letter dated Tuesday, August 24, and signed by NBC's director-general, Balarabe Ilelah, it was claimed that the anchors of the programme failed to properly interrogate the governor's comments.
Source: Legit.ng
