The immediate past Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has explained why he provided his official vehicle to the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, during the former Anambra State governor’s visit to Benue last Tuesday.
Ortom, who spoke through his media aide, Terver Akase, said it would have been unfair and unbecoming of a former governor to deny Obi transportation while he was in the state on a humanitarian mission to visit Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
The former governor was reacting to a claim by the incumbent Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, that Ortom was behind Obi’s visit to the state.
According to Ortom, providing the vehicle was not a political act but a gesture of courtesy and statesmanship towards a fellow former governor and prominent Nigerian leader.
He said, “Chief Ortom is a statesman who understands the demands of public service and the responsibilities that come with leadership. It is therefore both unnecessary and unfortunate for anyone to attempt to turn the simple act of making a vehicle available to a fellow Nigerian leader into a political issue.”
Ortom further stressed that Obi, being a former governor, presidential candidate and prominent political figure, deserved such courtesy, particularly as his visit was humanitarian in nature.
“Peter Obi is a former governor, a presidential candidate and one of the most prominent political figures in the country. Imagine how it would have sounded if Chief Ortom had refused to assist him with transportation while he was in Benue on a humanitarian mission to visit internally displaced persons,” he said.
He added, “Such a refusal would rightly have been viewed as petty, unwelcoming and beneath the dignity of a former governor. Indeed, extending such a courtesy should ordinarily have been the responsibility of the Benue State Government itself, given the status of the visitor.”
The former governor described attempts by the Alia administration to politicise the gesture as unnecessary, insisting that leaders should be encouraged to extend courtesies across political divides.
“That the Alia administration is now trying to make a controversy out of what was merely a humane, courteous and statesmanlike gesture shows the weakness of its argument and the strong political disagreement surrounding the matter,” Ortom said.
He maintained that in a democratic society, political differences should not prevent leaders from showing respect and extending assistance to one another, noting that such gestures should be viewed as examples of responsible leadership rather than grounds for controversy.
