In a recent development, the State High Court in Makurdi, Benue State has made a decision regarding the case brought by the former governor, Samuel Ortom, contesting the probe panel set up by the current administration against him.
It was revealed that the current state governor, Hyacinth Alia, had initiated two separate panels back in February 2024 to investigate the management of Ortom’s finances and assets during his eight-year tenure.
Ortom took legal action against the establishment of these panels, demanding an audit of his finances from 2015 to 2023 as required by the constitution, with a report to be submitted to the Benue State House of Assembly.
He argued that the ongoing investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission made the new panel redundant, amounting to a duplication of efforts.
Expressing his dissatisfaction with being probed, Ortom brought the Benue State Government, the Attorney General, and all members of the Commission of Inquiry to court, questioning their authority to scrutinize his administration’s finances.
Last week, the former governor filed an application seeking to appeal the court’s initial decision, with the ruling scheduled for the following day.
Upon deliberation, Justice Tertsea Asue dismissed Ortom’s motion and time extension request, deeming them without merit.
Asue pointed out that the applicant’s case was time-barred and that proper court procedures were not followed, as there was no permission sought before filing the lawsuit.
He emphasized that filing the case months after the establishment of the commission was not within the legal timeframe.
Asue highlighted that there were no provisions in the law to grant extensions for filing claims out of time, concluding that Ortom failed to adhere to due legal process.
The judge noted the chronological mismatch between the governor’s gazette on February 27 and the former governor’s lawsuit filed on May 31.
Conclusively, Asue stated that Ortom had clearly missed the deadline for submitting his lawsuit, rendering the extension request invalid under the existing laws and court rules.