Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has asked the Presidency to focus on ending the killing of innocent Nigerians, fix the economy and stop the corruption under his watch, instead of attacking him.
Ortom, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, yesterday, bemoaned the Presidency’s response to the governor’s interview, abandoning the message and going for the messenger.
The governor had, in an interview with Channels television, accused President Muhammadu Buhari of trying to “Fulanise” the country. He was reacting to the President’s approval to review 368 grazing reserves across 25 states in the country.
Responding, the Presidency accused the governor of “using language reminiscent of the Rwandan genocide” to cause the death of Nigerians. But Ortom maintained that he spoke the minds of many Nigerians on Buhari’s “specific areas of failure” and its slap on the wrist for armed Fulani herdsmen and other terrorists.
Insisting that he stands by his comment, Ortom added that he can’t be silenced. However, he has demanded apology from the Presidency for accusing him of stirring ethnic tension and calling for genocide.
Akase said the tone of Garba Shehu’s response to the governor shows the quality of Presidency the country has, noting that they abandoned the message and went for the messenger.
MEANWHILE, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has queried Channels Television over the “inciting, divisive and unfair comments” made by Ortom on the TV’s ‘Sunrise Daily’ breakfast programme on Tuesday.
NBC made this known in a letter to the television station entitled: ‘Notice of Infraction’ and dated August 24, 2021. It was signed by its Director-General, Balarabe Ilelah.
NBC said: “The programme, which had as guest the Executive Governor of Benue State, Governor Samuel Ortom, was observed to contain inciting, divisive and unfair comments which were not thoroughly interrogated by the anchors.”