Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has dismissed claims that he harboured hatred toward the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, clarifying that his past criticisms were strictly policy-driven and centered on the federal government’s failure to address escalating insecurity in his state.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Ortom said his concerns were borne out of his constitutional duty to protect the lives and welfare of Benue citizens.
“I didn’t hate Buhari, I didn’t hate his government, I didn’t hate any Fulani man. All I was standing for was that I was elected to provide security and provide for the welfare of my own people,” Ortom stated.
He emphasized that his criticism of the Buhari administration was a reaction to its perceived inaction in the face of violent attacks in Benue communities. “I couldn’t just watch and continue to bury people,” he said, noting that his administration proposed measures to curb the violence, which were largely ignored by the federal government.
The former governor argued that had Buhari’s administration embraced his proposed security interventions, much of the bloodshed in Benue could have been prevented.
Ortom also expressed distrust in federal initiatives such as the Ruga ranching programme, which he described as deceptive. He maintained that the persistent violence in the state was not merely a clash between herders and farmers, but a campaign of terror by armed invaders.
“These people go into villages, kill people, destroy farms, rape women, and commit all sorts of atrocities,” he said.
Ortom’s comments come in the wake of Buhari’s recent passing in London, and amidst renewed debates over his legacy and the country’s unending security challenges.
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