Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Benue State, Sir Tersoo Kula, has dismissed allegations that Governor Hyacinth Alia diverted or embezzled local government funds, describing the claims as a desperate political attempt to demarket the administration.
Speaking at Government House, Makurdi, on Friday, Kula was responding to recent comments by the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Chief Michael Aondoakaa, SAN, and former Governor Samuel Ortom on the management of council funds. He insisted that reforms introduced by the Alia administration had restored sanity, transparency and accountability to the third tier of government and given local government councils greater capacity to identify and execute projects that meet the needs of their communities.
Kula cited Guma, Katsina-Ala, Buruku, Gwer East and Ado among the local government areas currently undertaking road construction and other critical infrastructure projects worth billions of naira. Some of the projects, he said, are valued between ₦2 billion and ₦5 billion, with councils also collaborating with the state government on rural road construction across Benue. He attributed the development to the autonomy and reforms instituted by Governor Alia, which have enabled councils to exercise greater responsibility over grassroots development.
The spokesman argued that the scale of projects being executed by local government councils under the present administration represents a significant departure from what obtained under previous administrations since the return of democracy. He challenged the PDP candidate to point to specific projects carried out by local government chairmen during Ortom’s eight-year tenure that could compare with the ongoing interventions under Alia, adding that the achievements recorded in three years had surpassed those of previous administrations over eight years.
Kula also criticised the political alliance between Aondoakaa and Ortom, saying the duo had little new to offer the people of Benue. He accused the former governor of seeking to return to political relevance through the “back door” and questioned the PDP candidate’s development agenda for the state. He further alleged that Ortom, while claiming support for President Bola Tinubu, was secretly working with former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, citing a vehicle allegedly used by Obi during a visit to Benue as evidence of the association.
He urged the people of Benue to remain focused on the development initiatives of the Alia administration, which he said were strengthening institutions, empowering the grassroots and improving the welfare of citizens. Kula maintained that the government would continue to concentrate on governance and development rather than allow political distractions to derail its reform agenda.
