Ortom defends lending vehicle to Obi during Benue visit

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Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has defended his decision to lend his vehicle to Peter Obi during the presidential candidate’s recent visit to the state, describing the gesture as a simple courtesy that should not be interpreted as political collaboration.

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Ortom, through his media aide, Terver Akase, said refusing to assist Obi with transportation would have been “petty” and unbecoming of a former governor.

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Obi, who is the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, had visited Benue last Tuesday as part of plans to meet victims and families affected by the June 2025 massacre in Yelewata.

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His planned movement from Makurdi to Yelewata was disrupted after youths reportedly blocked his convoy around Gyado Villa, a few kilometres from the airport.

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Following the incident, Governor Hyacinth Alia’s Chief Press Secretary, Kula Tersoo, alleged that Ortom was involved in facilitating Obi’s visit.

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Tersoo said an investigation by the state government traced the vehicle used to convey Obi from Makurdi Airport to Ortom.

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He identified it as a Toyota Land Cruiser with registration number GWA 608 BT and claimed that Federal Road Safety Corps records showed it was registered in Ortom’s name and linked to his Judges Quarters address in Makurdi.

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The governor’s aide subsequently questioned why Ortom, who has declared support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election, would provide his vehicle to Obi.

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But Ortom dismissed the suggestion that the gesture amounted to political collaboration.

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He said Obi, as a former governor and presidential candidate, deserved basic courtesy while visiting the state on what he described as a humanitarian mission.

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“Peter Obi is a former governor, a presidential candidate and one of the most prominent political figures in the country,” he said.

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Ortom added that refusing to assist Obi would have been viewed as “petty, inhospitable and beneath the dignity of a former governor.”

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He described attempts to politicise the gesture as “ridiculous and shameful,” accusing the Alia administration of creating controversy around what he called a “humane, courteous and statesmanlike gesture.”

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Ortom also rejected claims that his action made him “double-faced”, noting that while he supported Obi in 2023, he had since publicly declared his support for Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

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