Benue State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described as fraudulent varied figures dished out to the media by Governor Samuel Ortom as debts left by Gabriel Suswam.
Ortom had on Tuesday told newsmen that all the figures released so far on the debt profile of the state, were based on preliminary investigations were carried out at one point or the other, stressing that the final debt profile would be known when the two panels set up to verify all assets of government submit their reports.
As stated by the governor, out of the N28.5 billion bailout requested from the Federal Government, N15 billion would be used to pay outstanding arrears for local government staff salaries while N13 billion is meant to clear arrears of salaries of state civil servants.
In a swift reaction, PDP stated the figures released so far were targeted at deceiving the Federal government and the Central Bank of Nigeria and well as the Benue people in order to get an unrealistic amount for the bailout as outstanding salary arrears left by the previous administration.
Speaking at a press conference in Makurdi weekend, state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Godwin Ayihe, stated nothing could be farther from the truth than such dubious figures.
He maintained that it was on record that the outgone administration of Gabriel Suswam had left a salary arrears to the local government staff to the tune of N3.5 billion while those of primary school teachers stood at N5.5 billion, totalling N9 billion as against the N15 billion being claimed by Governor Ortom.
Ayihe posited that Ortom may have a “treacherous motive” to siphon over N6 billion in the over-inflated debt claims which he might use to pursue victory for himself at the courts and also settle other financial costs incurred during his “questionable election as governor.”