Kinsmen are at odds over Akume’s rant against Ortom

Senator George Akume’s relatives accused him of betraying them and the state government of Benue on Friday.

At a press conference in Abuja on Monday, the minister asked President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency in Benue due to insecurity. He also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate Governor Samuel Ortom’s financial dealings from May 29, 2015 to the present.
His kinsmen, who are made up of elders and leaders of the land, known as Jemgbagh, who live in the Buruku, Gboko, and Tarka local government areas of the state, said it was necessary to distance themselves from their brother’s outburst yesterday at a press conference in Makurdi.

Yandev Amaai-Bai, the governor’s spokesman, said the allegation that he was disrespectful to the president was the most ridiculous of the allegations leveled against him.

“It’s odd that Senator Akume didn’t call attention to the insults. He who makes an allegation is expected to back it up,” he said.
However, Dan-morgan Ihomun, the president of the Jemgbagh United Front, reacted by saying that Senator Akume’s “so-called kinsmen” were hired to do their paymaster’s bidding.

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“All they wanted was pocket money from whoever was sponsoring them. Senator Akume’s remarks in Abuja have the full support of the people of Jemgbagh.

“Akume is concerned about Benue issues, and we support him. We can’t stand people who say the Jemgbagh kingdom’s polytechnic should be taken away from them,” he said.

Amaai-Bai also stated that they had watched Akume’s outburst with dismay and disappointment and felt compelled to express their feelings on the matter.

“We found the minister’s outing to be condemnable and unacceptable,” he said. The people of Jemgbagh are not known for such heinous acts. Akume has brought the entire Jemgbagh into disrepute, and we will no longer tolerate it.

Governor Ortom, meanwhile, has filed an N60 billion lawsuit against Akume in the Benue State High Court in Makurdi.

Okon N. Efut, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and four other lawyers filed suit under the number MHC/268/2021.

The governor is suing for N50 billion in general damages and N10 billion in exemplary and aggravated damages for libel.

A 17-paragraph statement of claim accompanied the summons.

The governor is seeking a declaration that the text of Akume’s press conference on August 30 in Abuja, as well as reports in various national dailies, are scandalous, malicious, and injurious to his person, according to the statement of claim.

The governor is seeking a permanent injunction prohibiting the senator from publishing any defamatory statement against him, either directly or through any agent, servants, or privies.

The case has yet to be scheduled for a hearing.