Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Benue State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) has taken a swipe at the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State for launching a verbal attack against the state Governor, Samuel Ortom over plans to build an airport in the state.
The Governor had included the proposed airport in the 2020 Budgetary Estimates which he presented to the State House of Assembly last Tuesday saying he hopes to deliver the project within two years.
But the APC had expressed deep worry over the planned building of airport by the Governor lamenting “the spontaneous nature with which the PDP administration in the state emotionally declares serious policy statements with gusto, yet, fails to execute any without compunction.”
The APC had also described Governor Ortom as the “governor with the highest number of non fulfilled promises” and cited the non completion of the Origbo-Imamde-Akpu-Gbajimba Road in evidence.
However, in a statement signed by the State Publicity Secretary of PDP, Bemgba Iortyom, and made available to Daily Sun stated that while the opposition party has a perfect right to hold an opinion about the policies and actions of Ortom’s administration, they should be reminded that the same Cargo Airport project which they today lampoon the Ortom administration over was conceived, and initiated under their watch as the sponsoring political platform of the administration then
The PDP said, “If they (APC) had guided the administration right, the (cargo airport) project would not have ended up a “white elephant project” like they now seek to derogatorily label it.
“It is, therefore, either a reflection of hypocrisy or lack of depth of thought, or a combination of both, for the opposition party to now seek to occupy the chair of the critic over that same project.
The PDP averred that instead of hurrying to the media to castigate a project which is still a part of the proposals in the budgetary estimate, the APC ought to mobilise their members in the state legislature where the airport project is up for consideration and raise their objections to the project through them.
The PDP however said the proposed airport project, if found desirable by Benue people through their representatives in the legislature, will be executed by the Ortom administration in line with the provisions which will be made for it by law.
Also reacting to the APC claim that Ortom has the highest number of unfulfilled promises, the PDP said that it will be lame to take non completion of the said road project and other ongoing projects to be non performance on the part of the Ortom administration.
The party listed some road projects inclusing the Ahmadu Bello Way in Gboko, Igbor-Ikpa-Wannune Road, the Mobile Barracks Road in Makurdi, the Och’Idoma Road in Otukpo among other roads projects at various stages of completion and ongoing works as proof of the Ortom administration on the provision of critical infrastructure to the people of Benue State.
“The Ortom administration has as well been active in the provision of social amenities, with counterpart payments made to attract partnership funding in education where the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) recently awarded the latest tranche of contracts running into billions of naira for the construction of classrooms and office accommodation, as well as provision of furniture and learning aids in primary schools across the state,” the PDP stated.