Benue Gov-elect’s Aide Accuses Ortom’s Govt of Plotting to Frustrate Incoming Administration

•Flays promotion of civil servants few days to hand over

•Your wailing is pathetic, says PDP

George Okoh in Makurdi

A media aide to Rev. Father Hyacinth Alia, who is the Governor-elect of Benue State, Dr. Mkor Aondona, has accused the outgoing Governor Samuel Ortom’s government of deliberately planting political landmines intended to stifle the smooth take-off and progress of the new government when sworn-in.

Aondona, made the assertion in a statement in Makurdi, yesterday.

But in a swift reaction, the Peoples Democratic Party’s state spokesman in the state, Mr. Bemgba Iortyom, accused Aondona of seeking political favours.

Furthermore, Aondona said the rapid promotion of some civil servants to positions of Permanent Secretaries few days to handing and back dating same to create exponentially huge arrears of emoluments, hoping that when the new administration of Alia comes in and refuses to pay, then the government would immediately start having problems with the civil service, was one of such landmines.

He further cited alleged mass recruitment of different categories of people into the Benue State civil service so that there would be disaffection when Alia’s government takes over and unable to pay civil servants and pensioners or if the government decides to sack civil servants as another case 

He questioned the Ortom government on the rapid and gross rise in expenditure such as loan subsidies to Peoples Democratic Party’s political appointees in government.

“This is so that they can pay the loans that were guaranteed by government via Bank of Industry(BOI) to the same appointees which means they got the monies free if the same loans are now being sibsidised,” he added.

“Without recourse to any other matter, the burden of these loans will fall on the government of Rev. Fr. Alia.

“Indeed, it must also be noted that there are court garnishees that the outgoing PDP government has successfully negotiated and shifted hearing dates into the time that Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Alia  will assume office and to this extent, the plan is that Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, will be bombarded with garnishees running into billions of naira from law suits instituted by contractors, retirees and other stakeholders, thereby stifling the immediate desire of the incoming government to proactively and aggressively address the priorities that are contained in the blueprint of Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia.

“Particularly, the immediate payment/clearance of salaries, arrears and gratuities owed civil servants and retirees as well as the rehabilitation of IDPs to their ancestral homes as contained in the acceptance speech of the governor-elect.”

He called on Benue people to rise up and understand what the outgoing government was doing to the incoming government.

However, in his reaction, Iortyom, accused Aondona of seeking political favours.

He said anyone with some modicum of common sense understands that an incumbent administration was entitled to a full tenure of office till the day it formally leaves office.

“Your wailing that the lawful actions of government amount to landmines is as pathetic as your wailing the other day that people are coming to edge you out of the government you think is your entitlement in the anticipated administration,” he said.