MAKURDI, Nigeria – The Benue State Government has rebuffed opposition criticisms regarding the governance and economic management of Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, declaring that verifiable infrastructural renewals and social welfare interventions across the state cannot be obscured by partisan propaganda, the governor’s office announced in Makurdi on Saturday, September 12, 2026.
The rejoinder was issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sir Tersoo Kula, mnipr, in direct response to an essay published by Dr. Terver Akase, the former spokesman to immediate-past Governor Samuel Ortom and current media consultant to former Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN.
Okay News reports that Kula characterized the opposition commentary as an exercise long on political rhetoric but devoid of substantive facts, designed to portray Governor Alia as distracted or defensive when physical projects across the state demonstrate administrative focus.
Addressing opposition arguments highlighting expanded Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursements to the state, the governor’s spokesman explained that statutory revenue growth must be balanced against systemic inflationary pressures, elevated capital construction costs, and persistent security expenditures.
Kula noted that during the eight-year tenure of former Governor Ortom, previous administrations repeatedly used the paucity of statutory revenue as an excuse for stagnant developmental indices, whereas the Alia administration has deployed available funds into prompt pension disbursements, civil service salaries, rural road reconstruction, and agricultural inputs.
The government expressed deep regret over the opposition’s attempts to weaponize the recent tragic security breach in Ayilamo for political mileage, maintaining that Governor Alia treats internal security as a paramount constitutional obligation while sustaining coordinated tactical deployments with federal defense agencies to secure farming belts and return internally displaced persons to their ancestral settlements.
Kula also challenged the apparent contradictions in Ortom’s political posturing ahead of the 2027 general elections, demanding clarification on why the former governor provided campaign logistics and transport vehicles to opposition presidential figure Peter Obi during his recent visit to Makurdi while simultaneously professing loyalty to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.
“If providing campaign logistics, including transportation, for Peter Obi is not political support but statesmanship, then Benue people are entitled to understand the principle guiding such a curious political arrangement,” Kula stated.
Turning to Aondoakaa’s gubernatorial bid on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, the chief press secretary asserted that campaign promises cannot be conflated with executive performance, calling on the former justice minister to present his concrete achievements during his tenure in the federal cabinet under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
The spokesman further urged Aondoakaa to demonstrate fiscal transparency by addressing public inquiries surrounding the financial obligations and commercial bank loans associated with his private enterprises, particularly MICAP Nigeria Limited, emphasizing that anyone seeking the public trust must welcome rigorous scrutiny of their business and administrative records.
Reiterating that the electorate possesses the discernment to separate verified achievements from electoral promises, Kula concluded that the 2027 polls will serve as the ultimate referendum where Benue citizens will assess Governor Alia on his tangible delivery rather than partisan rhetoric.
