Former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has defended his decision to provide his vehicle to National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi during Obi’s recent visit to the state, saying refusal would have been “petty” and beneath the dignity of a former governor.
Ortom spoke through his media aide, Terver Akase, on Friday in response to accusations from the Benue State Government.
Governor Hyacinth Alia’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula (also referred to as Kula Tersoo), had alleged that Ortom facilitated Obi’s visit and questioned why the former governor made his vehicle available to another presidential candidate while publicly supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid for 2027.
According to the state government, Obi was conveyed from Makurdi Airport in a Toyota Land Cruiser with registration number ABUJA: GWA 608 BT. Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) records linked the vehicle to Ortom, with the registered address listed as Judges Quarters, Makurdi. The government suggested this indicated possible dual loyalty on Ortom’s part.
Ortom rejected the politicisation of the gesture. Akase described his principal as “a statesman who understands the demands of public service and the obligations that come with leadership.” He said it was “ridiculous and shameful” to criminalise or politicise the simple act of making a vehicle available to a fellow Nigerian leader.
“Peter Obi is a former governor, a presidential candidate and one of the most prominent political figures in the country. Imagine how it would have sounded if Chief Ortom had refused to assist him with transportation while he was in Benue on a humanitarian mission to visit internally displaced persons,” Akase stated.
“Such a refusal would rightly have been viewed as petty, inhospitable and beneath the dignity of a former governor. Indeed, extending such a courtesy should ordinarily have been the responsibility of the Benue State Government itself, given the status of the visitor.”
Obi had travelled to Benue last Tuesday as part of plans to visit Yelewata and condole with families of victims of the June 2025 massacre. His convoy was blocked by youths near Gyado Villa, a few kilometres from the airport, preventing him from reaching the community. Obi later described the trip as humanitarian in nature.
Ortom further dismissed claims that he was “double-faced.” He noted that he had publicly supported Obi in the 2023 presidential election but has since declared support for President Tinubu ahead of 2027. He insisted he remains a man of his word who stands by candidates he publicly endorses.
Akase argued that the Alia administration’s attempt to turn an act of hospitality into controversy exposed “the poverty of its argument and the desperation behind its propaganda.” He added that in other societies, leaders are commended for extending courtesies across political divides rather than vilified for doing so. Ortom also suggested the state government itself should have provided security and vehicles for a visitor coming to see affected residents, rather than allowing the mission to be disrupted.
The exchange highlights ongoing political tensions in Benue State between the current administration and its predecessor, against the backdrop of preparations for the 2027 elections.
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