Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has opened up on the painful political battles he faced while in office, revealing that many of the people he appointed into government abandoned him after he left power.
The outspoken former governor also alleged that his administration was financially strangled by the federal government under the leadership of former President Muhammadu Buhari because of the Benue State’s anti-open grazing law.
According to Ortom, the decision to enact the law, which was drafted to protect farmers and curbing violent clashes attributed to open grazing, led to serious political and financial consequences for his government.
“The Buhari administration starved my administration of funds because of the anti grazing law. This led to non payment of salaries, pension and gratuities.”
Ortom further disclosed that at the peak of the crisis, he was summoned to Abuja and offered a huge financial deal if he agreed to scrap the controversial law.
“I was called to Abuja and told if I repeal the law, 40 billion would be provided to Benue to clear arrears of salaries, while another 35 billion would be provided for infrastructural development. I rejected the offer.”
The former governor said his refusal to bow to the pressure worsened the financial situation of the state, which he claimed political opponents later exploited against him.
“The situation was exploited by opposition politicians who used it against me.”
Ortom also revealed that some individuals within his administration were allegedly influenced by the federal government during the political standoff.
“Some of my aides were recruited by the Federal government.”
He admitted that the period was emotionally draining, describing it as one of the toughest moments of his life in public office.
“It was a difficult moment for me, sometimes I wept.”
Reflecting on life after leaving office, the former governor said he was shocked that many of those who served under him disappeared once his tenure ended.
“My appointees abandoned me when I left office.”
Ortom served as Governor of Benue State from 2015 to 2023 and was widely known for his fierce defense of the anti-open grazing law, which placed him at the center of national political debates over security, farmers’ rights, and federal influence.
