The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State, Sir Tersoo Kula, has delivered a scathing rebuttal to a recent press conference held by a group known as the Association of Former Appointees of the previous administration.
In the strongly worded statement released on Saturday, Kula described the group’s media outing as a shameless and poorly rehearsed performance designed to mislead the public and score cheap political points.
According to Kula, the former appointees — who served under an administration that “failed Benue woefully” — now seek to rebrand themselves as activists after being shut out of power.
He dismissed their grievances as baseless and rooted in political bitterness. He accused them of distorting facts and peddling lies simply to remain relevant.
In particular, the CPS responded to the group’s claims that Governor Alia has not paid enough attention to insecurity in the state.
He stressed that, unlike the previous government which relied on propaganda and confrontation, Governor Alia has adopted a calm, strategic, and inclusive approach to addressing security challenges.
He explained that the Alia administration has engaged key stakeholders, including leaders from neighboring states, to tackle the root causes of attacks, many of which originate outside Benue.
Kula pointed out that this shift in approach has already started yielding tangible results.
Conflict-prone communities, especially those bordering Nasarawa and Taraba States, are now experiencing relative peace.
One notable example is the Sankera region, long known for violence, where former actors in the crisis have returned to the table for peace dialogues.
In Guma, a local government area that had suffered years of herdsmen attacks, residents are now able to farm and harvest rice on their ancestral lands — a development Kula says should make even the former appointees grateful.
The statement went on to address the issue of Internally Displaced Persons, especially those still living in camps.
Kula clarified that many remain in IDP camps not due to government neglect but because their homes were destroyed and need to be rebuilt.
He added that the Alia-led government is actively working to ensure their safe and dignified return.
Responding to allegations that the Governor is “in bed with marauders,” Kula described the accusation as not only ridiculous but malicious. He argued that Governor Alia has simply opted for a diplomatic and effective method of resolving the crisis, instead of the loud and chaotic tactics used by the previous administration, which only worsened tensions and alienated Benue from national support.
He also tackled the former appointees’ criticism of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law.
Kula accused their principal, former Governor Samuel Ortom, of being one of the largest cattle owners in the state with over 10,000 cows — yet unable to show the location of a single functional ranch. He described this as the height of hypocrisy and urged the public not to fall for it.
Touching on healthcare, another sector criticized by the group, the CPS said it was laughable for those under whose watch the Benue State University Teaching Hospital collapsed to now speak on medical issues.
He announced that under Governor Alia, the hospital is undergoing major improvements. These include a new water project that will supply over 200 cubic meters daily, the construction of an International Cancer Centre nearing completion, a special needs school for autism and related disorders, and massive recruitment of both medical and non-medical staff.
Kula further defended the Governor’s reference to ECOWAS protocols in managing the herder-farmer crisis, saying such a strategy is meant to align with long-term, sustainable peace efforts and not merely score political points.
He argued that the administration is building solid structures for lasting security, rather than engaging in loud, empty rhetoric.
In conclusion, Sir Tersoo Kula said the coordinated attacks and resurfacing violence in some parts of the state were suspiciously timed with the media attacks by these same political actors, suggesting a deliberate plan to incite unrest and discredit Governor Alia.
He noted that the Ortom administration wasted eight years of Benue’s destiny and now seeks to shift blame for its failures to an administration that has spent less than two years in office.
He ended the statement by affirming that the Alia administration is focused on restoring dignity, rebuilding institutions, and returning Benue to its rightful place, while those in the opposition remain busy staging press conferences in rented halls.
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