The lawmaker representing Kebbi South Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Garba Maidoki, says he joined politics because of the insecurity in his area.

Maidoki made this known on Tuesday when he appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

According to the lawmaker, he had no interest in joining politics but the incessant insecurity in his domain forced him.

DAILY POST reports that Maidoki on Tuesday dumped the All Progressives Congress, APC, and joined the African Democratic Congress, ADC, following the unresolved internal wrangling within the ruling party resulting from the recently concluded primaries in Kebbi State.

“The only reason I joined politics is because of the insecurity in my area. I have no interest in doing politics.

“We have done everything we can to protect ourselves at the community level. Then it dawned on us that if we use our ballot papers wisely, it is better than using our bullets,” he said.

….Says gov hiding failures with false allegations

….Probe meant to uncover gaps in handover records—Alia’s aide
By Peter Duru

MAKURDI—Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, yesterday, challenged Governor Hyacinth Alia to a public debate over the management of state resources, accusing the administration of poor governance, financial mismanagement and a sustained campaign to tarnish his legacy.

Ortom, who spoke with journalists in Makurdi, dismissed allegations by a state government panel that about N139 billion was unaccounted for during his administration, describing the claim as false and politically motivated.

The former governor also rejected allegations that he left behind debts exceeding N300 billion, insisting that the figures being circulated by the government were misleading.

“I want to challenge the governor to a debate. Let him come clean. Let him come and we discuss these matters openly with facts and figures. Let him bring his facts, and I will bring mine,” Ortom said.

According to him, Benue State received about N817 billion during his eight-year tenure, while more than N1.3 trillion had accrued to the state within three years of the Alia administration.

“Within three years, over N1.3 trillion has come into Benue State. What has been done with it? Other states are commissioning projects and clearing salary arrears, but here, people are asking questions. This government commissioned only 10.5 kilometres of roads in three years. It is laughable,” he stated.

Ortom accused the governor of failing to unite the state and engage critical stakeholders since assuming office.

“He has not called a single stakeholders’ meeting since he became governor. Leadership is about listening to people. No human being has a monopoly of knowledge,” he said.

Ortom also renewed his criticism of clerics participating in partisan politics, insisting that priesthood and politics require different orientations.

“Priests should remain in the priesthood and allow politicians to do politics. A priest represents God. Their training is different. In politics, people criticise you, challenge you and insult you. That is part of the game,” he said.

Reflecting on his relationship with Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, Ortom admitted regretting his declaration after the 2019 election that he had politically retired the former governor.

“I said I had retired Akume, but when I got home that night and prayed, God told me that statement was arrogant. I regretted it because I am not the one who gives power; it is God who gives power,” he said.
The former governor, who described Akume as his political leader, said both men were now working together in the interest of Benue State.

Responding, Governor Alia’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Tersoo Kula, said the governor was not pursuing any vendetta against his predecessor.

“Governor Alia is not out for any vendetta against Mr. Ortom. Handover notes are meant to be studied. When you study them and discover lapses and gaps, you are bound to invite legitimate authorities to help unravel the grey areas. That is exactly what Governor Alia did,” Kula said.

He disclosed that Ortom was invited several times to appear before the commission of inquiry but allegedly chose to send legal representatives, while some former officials of his administration appeared and testified.

Kula maintained that the Alia administration inherited enormous challenges, including unpaid salaries, pensions and a heavy debt burden.

“No person with conscience would have ignored the mess that was met on the ground — seven months of unpaid salaries for state workers, 11 months for local government workers and teachers, over 76 months of unpaid pensions and gratuities, heavy debt burden and questionable records,” he said.

He also faulted comparisons between the two administrations, arguing that economic realities had changed significantly since Ortom left office.

According to him, rising inflation and construction costs had affected project execution across the country.

Kula further alleged that the state was currently battling several garnishee orders running into billions of naira, which he attributed to decisions taken by the previous administration.

The death of a 14-year-old boy in Ilobu, Osun State, has sparked a fresh war of words between the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Imole Campaign Council, with both sides accusing each other of politicising the tragedy ahead of the forthcoming governorship election.

DAILY POST recalls that a teenager, identified as Ezekiel Olapade, was reportedly killed during a shooting incident on Sunday near the Irepodun Local Government Secretariat, Ilobu with nother person also injured during the attack.

The incident has generated widespread concern in the state and intensified political tensions, as rival political parties continue to trade accusations over the circumstances surrounding the killing and the reactions that followed.

The APC, in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, criticised Governor Ademola Adeleke’s visit to the bereaved family, alleging that the occasion was transformed into a political event.

According to Olabisi, “the governor should have focused solely on mourning with the family rather than making remarks that the party interpreted as political in nature.

“Such an occasion for strictly mourning the young lad was inappropriate for Governor Adeleke to have turned it to a campaign ground as it could be likened to the state chief executive doing the wrong thing at the wrong time and wrong place,” he said.

The opposition party also questioned the governor’s comments regarding the incident, arguing that it was improper to attribute responsibility for the killing before the conclusion of police investigations.

Olabisi stated, “It didn’t add up and unexpected of a worthy chief executive to have bypassed the police in their investigation when he named the opposition party as being responsible for the killing.”

The APC alleged that there were contradictions in the governor’s position after he reportedly called for a police investigation while simultaneously expressing views on those responsible for the attack.

Meanwhile, the Imole Campaign Council dismissed the APC’s allegations and accused the opposition party of attempting to exploit the teenager’s death for political advantage.

In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, the council expressed concern over what it described as an increase in political violence in Osun State and called on all political actors to exercise restraint.

Olajengbesi said the loss of innocent lives should unite stakeholders in the pursuit of peace rather than deepen political divisions.

“The recent escalation of political violence in Osun is a threat to us all. The loss of innocent lives has no place in a civil society. Democracy cannot thrive where citizens live in fear,” he said.

The council also urged security agencies, including the Inspector-General of Police, to ensure that all residents receive equal protection regardless of political affiliation and warned against selective enforcement of the law.

Olajengbesi maintained that electoral contests should be determined through public support and democratic participation, adding, “Democracy demands persuasion, not coercion. 

Political parties should compete with ideas, policies, and performance, not with conduct that threatens public peace and safety.”

The controversy followed allegations by the deceased’s father, Gbenga Olapade, who claimed that his son was struck by a bullet while trying to assist his mother during the chaos. 

He also alleged that armed men opened fire near a palm wine bar owned by his wife and the deceased teenager’s mother and that security personnel at the scene failed to intervene as the attackers arrived.