The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has accused the Federal Government of plotting to use herdsmen to cause crisis in the state during the 2019 general election.
Ortom made the allegation while reacting to Information Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed’s claim that Benue was one of the states where there could be crisis during the election.
Mohammed had accused opposition parties of plotting to use Boko Haram and bandits with a view to perpetrate violence during the election.
He said, “We have credible intelligence that bandits and Boko Haram insurgents have been mobilised to engage in massive attacks and other acts of violence in several states across the country.
“The states include: Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Benue, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara. The Benue-based armed criminal group, led by Terwase Akwaza, also known as Gana, has been commissioned to strike soft targets in Benue, Nasarawa, and Taraba States.
“In Kano State, a group of notorious miscreants have been mobilised by some prominent opposition leaders to provoke massive chaos before, during and after the elections. Some armed mercenaries from Niger Republic have been contracted to attack top government functionaries, including state governors, across the North-West between now and the elections.”
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But reacting to the allegation, Ortom said, “That is their game plan. You know, this is not the first time that they are coming out with this.
“They have been planning this for a long time that they will cause crisis themselves. The Federal Government is planning crisis, they are planning to send herdsmen and instruct the security men not to contend with their terrorist acts so that there will be crisis. But it is left for Nigerians to know.
“You heard what former President Obasanjo said, the truth is that Buhari is no longer in charge of the government. It is the cabal that is running this government and it is very clear.
“You heard what the First Lady said that we should rise up to fight the cabal. We did not elect the cabal into the villa to do what they are doing against us.
“So, it is clear and I’m not surprised about the statement coming from the federal government that Benue State is marked.
“At least, we have relative peace today but they intend to cause crisis themselves so that they will make the state ungovernable and so on and cause our elections to be inconclusive so that at the end, they will come and intimidate us.
“Nobody will intimidate Samuel Ortom and all of us in Benue State here. I am with the people and the people are standing with me. I will do it with the last pint of my blood as long as it is lawful. Nobody will intimidate me.”