Nigerian Concord Newspaper
The Chairman of the Transition Committee from the side of the All Progressive Congress, Chief Mike Iordye is a man with multi-million naira contract scam and he has no constitutional right to force the government of Governor Samuel Ortom to hand over to his committee prematurely, multiple sources have said.
According to the sources who reacted to recent call by Iordye that Ortom should present his handover papers, the chairman of Transition Committee of the governor-elect side has no rights to force the governor to shut down his government before the May 29 hand over date.
Recall that Chief Iordye started calling on Governor Samuel Ortom’s administration to present its hand over documents to the governor-elect, Father Hyacinth Alia even when the outgoing administration still has close to a month to end.
According to findings by Nigerian Concord Newspaper, some of the projects to be handed over to the incoming administration are road and electricity contracts leading to Iordye’s village in Guma local government which he abandoned even after collecting funds for the same projects.
“Unfortunately, Chief Iordye failed to execute the project but pocketed the funds. The contract was subsequently terminated for non-performance and re-awarded to other companies who have since completed and the works commissioned” one of the sources said.
Another instance of Iordye’s terrible conduct according to investigation was in 2016 when he was awarded an electrification project with Contract No. BNTB- 31/2016 for the extension of electricity to Tse Ortom from Gbajimba to Tse Upev- Tomatar-Ahentse-Tse Akaahena with the contract valued at over N190 million.
Nigerian Concord learnt that the sum of N119.7 million was paid to him but work was not done. “And he has not refunded the money to the government. This will also be handed over to the new government which he represents” another source said in a chat with this newspaper.
The source also stated that In 2017, the same Iordye who is now making demands of hand over notes before the end of the tenure of Governor Ortom was awarded a road construction Contract No. BNTB- 39/2017. “This too was never executed. All pleas from the Governor to prominent Nongov traditional, sons and other well meaning individuals fell on deaf ears” the source noted.
The source also said that: “The agreement as contained in the road contract was to grade and laterite the 28 kilometer road from Tse Ortom – Tse Upev to his ancestral home of Tse Akaahena and terminate at the Nasarawa border feeder. This contract was valued at NGN N414.6 million.
“The sum of N178.7 million was paid to Iordye without any progress made. The contract was later terminated and re-awarded to TRIACTA Construction Ltd and also upgrade to a surface dressing road.
“Funnily enough, Iordye has also forgotten how his hands are stained with the way he handled the sale of government properties when he served as Head of Service of Benue State.
I will advise the Ortom government to make this too part of the hand over notes.
“Now, will someone remind Iordye and his group that Governor Ortom’s tenure ends on May 29, 2023. That is the date all accounts will be closed and financial and administrative reports rendered as at 29th May, 2023. Let them be informed, incase they don’t know, that Governor Ortom is still in charge and must have obligations and bills to pick up to 29th May when the handover would have been made and not now.
“As it is right now the transition committee can only take notes, receive preliminary briefings and wait for the handover. And who says the handover notes will be given to the committee, anyway? Is Mike Iordye the governor-elect?
“The conventional thing is that after the handover, the respective permanent Secretaries do take the incoming team round projects sites as indicated in the handover notes. Why are they in a hurry and misled out of excitement.
“It is becoming glaring that the Chief Mike Iordye Transition Committee from the side of the Governor-elect is exhibiting the characteristics of a group of people who are out to stampede Governor Ortom out of office when the time still subsists.
“It is just the desperation of hungry and angry scavengers who want to get into power and show off.
“Iordye who is a perpetual Transition Committee Chairman in Benue State has suddenly forgotten the procedure that is followed in this aspect of governance.
“His latest co-signed public statement with Dan Ashiekaa speaks of mischief which is intentionally meant to embarrass Governor Samuel Ortom whose tenure expires on May 29, 2023”
Another source who reacted to Iordye’s call that Ortom should present his handover note asked: “Buhari handed over to Tinubu or is he taking Tinubu around to inspect projects?