2027: Stop Calling Benue People ‘Shenanigans’, Alia Owes You No Apology, Ex-Ambassador Tells Ortom, Wike

From Attah Ede, Makurdi

A former Nigerian Ambassador to Namibia, Terhemen Tarzoor, has criticized former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over their reported comments about Governor Hyacinth Alia, the Catholic Church and the state’s finances, urging them to exercise restraint in their public engagements ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Tarzoor, a former Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, said political disagreements should not be allowed to degenerate into personal attacks against the governor or derogatory remarks about the people of Benue State.

Speaking with journalists in Makurdi on Thursday, the former ambassador described Ortom’s reported remarks during a television programme last week, in which he allegedly referred to Alia as a “419” and a “fake Reverend Father” and described some Benue people as “shenanigans”, as inappropriate and condemnable.

He maintained that political differences did not justify the use of language capable of undermining the office of the governor or diminishing the dignity of the people who elected political leaders into public office.

Tarzoor, who is the Benue State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) campaign for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections, said Ortom should be mindful of the implications of his public comments about the incumbent governor.

“My take is that the former governor is not in the position to call the number one citizen 419. He has no right to call him that,” he said.

While acknowledging Ortom as an elder brother whom he respected, Tarzoor expressed concern that political disagreements were increasingly being expressed in ways he believed could heighten tensions in the state.

He also faulted the former governor’s reported comparison of Alia’s administration with the Catholic Church’s parish system, arguing that the analogy appeared to question the church’s financial accountability mechanisms without sufficient understanding of its administrative structure.

“As a Knight of St. John International, I want to disabuse his mind and the minds of people who listened to that programme that there is a high level of accountability in the Catholic Church,” Tarzoor said.

He explained that the Catholic Church maintained administrative and accountability structures involving priests, church councils, elders and lay faithful, which, according to him, provided oversight and ensured accountability in the management of church affairs.

“There is no Catholic priest that can just earn money and spend at ease in the Catholic Church. I therefore say Ortom does not have the equipage to pontificate on such a subject matter,” he added.

Tarzoor urged political leaders to exercise caution when commenting on religious institutions, warning against statements that could be interpreted as attacks on their administrative practices.

The former lawmaker also challenged what he described as an unfair comparison between Ortom’s eight-year administration and Alia’s government, which he said had been in office for just over three years.

He argued that any meaningful assessment of the two administrations should take into account their respective periods in office, the resources available to them and their development priorities before conclusions were drawn about their performances.

Tarzoor further condemned Ortom’s reported description of some Benue people as “shenanigans”, saying such language was unbecoming of a political leader who had previously benefited from the electorate’s support.

“I see that as repugnant. I see that as unbefitting of a personality who has benefited enormously from the votes of Benue people all his life,” he said.

He urged the former governor to distinguish between disagreements with the incumbent administration and respect for the people of the state, stressing that political criticism should be expressed with decorum.

“If he has issues, he should apply the right language, apply decorum in the manner to address matters. That is the only legacy we can leave for our children, those yet unborn, and not to talk down on someone in the person of the governor because you are bitter,” Tarzoor said.

On Wike’s reported comments concerning federal allocations to Benue State and the need for the state government to disclose its revenue and expenditure, Tarzoor questioned what he described as the minister’s selective focus on the state’s finances.

He asked whether the FCT minister had made similar demands for financial disclosures from other states, including Nasarawa, Rivers and Kano, arguing that calls for transparency should be consistent and not directed at one state alone.

“Has he spoken about the one coming to Nasarawa, or the one going to Rivers State? Has he published the one in Rivers? Has he published the one in Kano?” he asked.

Tarzoor, however, acknowledged that public revenue and expenditure were legitimate matters of public interest, but insisted that demands for financial information should be pursued through appropriate channels and applied consistently across the country.

He maintained that Alia’s administration was open to scrutiny and urged interested members of the public to use established legal mechanisms to obtain relevant government records.

“Governor Hyacinth Alia is open to all criticisms. The law is clear on freedom of information. You test it; the records will be there for you to see,” he said.

The former ambassador cautioned against what he described as uncoordinated demands for financial information, arguing that government officials should be allowed to concentrate on governance while legitimate enquiries were handled through established procedures.

He also urged the media to promote accountability by seeking accurate information from relevant government agencies rather than relying solely on exchanges among political actors.

Tarzoor’s comments come amid heightened political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, with disagreements over governance, public accountability and political leadership increasingly featuring in the debate in Benue State.