Samuel Ortom, the former governor of Benue State, said that his adversaries intentionally fabricated falsehoods leading up to the 2023 general elections to make sure that he was defeated.
Ortom explained that his rivals falsely accused him of owning the Ethanol Company, Pure Bio Tech, along Gboko-Makurdi Road.
Ortom revealed this in a statement from his media aide, Terver Akase, in Makurdi, the state capital.
The statement stated, “Even though the report did not offer any proof to support its claim that Chief Ortom owns the company, it is necessary to reiterate that the former governor is not the owner of the enterprise.
“His Excellency Ortom does not possess any shares in the company, and he has no connection to it.
“The story that Chief Ortom owns Pure Bio Tech was concocted by individuals who sought to seize power in the state before the 2023 elections.
“These people spread outright lies about Governor Ortom, accusing him of acquiring every available land in the state capital and owning every major private business in the state.
“Regrettably, some individuals believed the campaign of falsehood and animosity against Chief Ortom before and during the last election.”
Ortom recalled that Stephen Numbeve, who was recently appointed as the State Project Coordinator, Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project by Governor Hyacinth Alia, served as the Resource Manager of the company from its inception until his government appointment.
While expressing disappointment that Numbeve remained silent during the anti-Ortom campaign related to the company and other investments prior to the election, he later emerged after the election to reveal the true owner of the firm through social media posts.
“Numbeve had apologized to Chief Ortom on the 15th of March, 2021, when the governor paid an unexpected visit to the company shortly after it commenced operations without following proper procedures.
“Additionally, in April 2023, the Ortom administration ordered an urgent investigation into the company's activities when it was discovered that its sewage disposal system was releasing waste into River Benue, thus contaminating the water and jeopardizing aquatic life in the river.
“We challenge those spreading the story that Ortom owns Pure Bio Tech to publicly present evidence supporting their claims or offer apologies to the former Governor,” the statement read in parts.
The former governor not only lost his senatorial ambition, but also his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, and the 2023 governorship election in the state.
