Former Governor of Benue State, Chief Samuel Ortom, has challenged Ambassador Terhemen Tarzoor to present his record of achievements in public office to the people of Benue State, accusing the former diplomat of nursing deep-seated bitterness over his defeat in the 2015 governorship election.
The exchange followed public remarks by Tarzoor criticizing Ortom’s recent assessment of the current administration under Governor Hyacinth Alia. Tarzoor had faulted Ortom’s comments regarding state-owned industries and labeled his tone as unbecoming of a former governor.
Responding in a statement issued at 8:10 PM on October 31, 2026, in Makurdi, Ortom’s media aide, Dr. Terver Akase, rejected Tarzoor’s criticisms, characterizing them as part of a sustained campaign of hostility stemming from the April 11, 2015 election outcome.
”Public accountability does not expire at the end of an administration, and criticism of a sitting governor is not proof of bitterness,” Akase stated. “Chief Ortom’s administration operated under transparent principles, policies, and projects that are verifiable. It is Ambassador Tarzoor who should move beyond the defeat of 2015 and lay out what he achieved for Benue State during his time as Speaker of the State House of Assembly and later as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Namibia.”
Expanding on the electoral fallout, Ortom’s team highlighted that Tarzoor’s legal challenges, which spanned from the Benue State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal all the way to the Supreme Court, were entirely dismissed, yet his public rhetoric remains heavily driven by that 2015 loss.
Rather than launching personal attacks, the former governor challenged Tarzoor to highlight tangible policy achievements, key infrastructure projects, or legislative milestones from his own tenures as Speaker and Ambassador.
Addressing legal disputes over post-office benefits for former state executives, Ortom asserted that statutory provisions, rather than personal interpretations or political rhetoric, strictly govern former leaders’ entitlements.
Furthermore, the statement pointed to Ortom’s long-standing personal humanitarian record, specifically citing his free medical treatment program for snakebite victims operating since 2000, as evidence of sustained community support both prior to and throughout his governorship.
In closing, Ortom urged public officers and political figures across Benue State to engage in constructive, evidence-based policy debates rather than resorting to media exchanges aimed at shielding the current administration from democratic scrutiny.
