APC, PDP bicker over N11bn Benue airport project

The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State has accused the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government in the state of embarking on N11bn “phantom airport project”.

The state governor, Samuel Ortom, had while presenting the 2020 budget of N189.4bn to the State House of Assembly on Tuesday, disclosed that N11bn would be expended on an airport project. He had attempted to construct a cargo airport during his first tenure but which he was unable to actualise.

Acting State Publicity Secretary of APC, James Ornguga, in a statement, said the party was astounded by the moves by the state government to construct an airport.

“It remains undisputed that Governor Ortom has the highest number of unfulfilled promises among his counterparts in Nigeria. Benue APC is particularly irked that the governor, who has not been able to complete the 40km Origbo-Imande-Akpu-Gbajimba road that was flagged off on Tuesday March 24, 2016 with payment made immediately, is insisting on building an airport in a state that is totally ravaged by hunger that is occasioned by his misrule of close to five years,” the party said.

But in a reaction, PDP said the same cargo airport project which the APC is now lampooning the Ortom administration for, was conceived and initiated under its (APC) watch as the sponsoring political platform of the administration then.

State Publicity Secretary of the PDP Bemgba Iortyom, in a statement, noted that if APC had guided the administration right, the project would not have ended up a “white elephant project” as they now want to label it.