The governor spoke at the Port Harcourt International Airport when he returned to the country alongside Nyesom Wike, Rivers state governor, and Okezie Ikpeazu, Abia governor on Friday, August 26.

Recall that the PDP governors met with former Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo and Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in London. They also met with their party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Speaking shortly after their arrival, Governor Ortom who has never hidden his disdain for the Buhari-led government said;“We are looking at how we can harness ideas and put ourselves together to ensure that we get out of the present challenge we are in Nigeria today.

From top to bottom, consider what has happened from 2015 and where we are today. So, what we are doing is a concern that we have for our country, Nigeria.

This is beyond partisan politics. We are looking at how we can come together and find a way of ensuring that Nigeria survives. Nigeria is on a drip, Nigeria is on oxygen and it is about how can we get out of this.

We have individually also had earlier commitments in Europe even if consultations are still going on because nothing concrete has been decided. The consultation is going on and will continue to go on. We are still going to meet here.”

It was also gathered that the commission is not comfortable with an interview granted by a former Navy Commodore, Kunle Olawunmi, who alleged that current members of the Buhari cabinet are Boko Haram sponsors.

The Commission has since summoned anchors of the programme who honoured the invitation and are at the NBC office in Abuja.

Ortom in the interview, had accused President Muhammadu Buhari of trying to “Fulanise” Nigeria, stating that the President’s decision to review grazing reserves across the country is unconstitutional.

But, the NBC, in a letter to the television station titled, ‘Notice of Infraction’, said, “The programme which had as guest the Executive Governor of Benue State, Governor Samuel Ortom, was observed to contain inciting, divisive and unfair comments which were not thoroughly interrogated by the anchors.”

The regulator’s letter was dated August 24, 2021, and signed by its Director-General, Balarabe Ilelah.

It said the actions allegedly negated Sections 1.10.4, 3.1.1, 3.3.1(b), 3.3.1(e), 3.11.1(a), and 3.12.2 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.

“Consequently, Channels Television is required to explain why appropriate sanctions should not be applied for these infractions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code. Your response should reach the Commission within 24 hours of the receipt of this letter,” the NBC said.

In an interview on Channels Television, Ortom asked why the government is not going after these Fulani militias and bandits that are terrorising the entire country including Benue state which he governs.

He said  “I see a lot of lack of commitment on the part of the Federal Government in ensuring that we have security in this country. I will give an example: recently, the Federal Government has demonstrated the capacity by going after Nnamdi Kanu, who was leading IPOB. I am told he was even arrested in a foreign land with the cooperation of Interpol and so on. I heard that Sunday Igboho has been arrested. With that kind of commitment, it shows that the Federal Government has the capacity. Today, bandits, Fulani militia are terrorising the entire country, the country is in disarray and these Fulani militias have come out with video clips…and they have identified where they are. It was amazing that a top government official comes out to say that the Fulani militias are invisible. How? Are they spirits? Why is the government not going after these Fulani militias and bandits that are terrorising the entire country and terrorising my state? Just two days ago, two humanitarian workers were gunned down in my own village by these Fulani militias and their phones taken away. And the Fulani militias took the phones and when one of their (victims’) brothers called, they confirmed that they had killed them and they are in possession of their phones and that they should tell me to repeal the prohibition of open grazing otherwise they have the right to continue to kill since I said there would be no open grazing in Benue State. These people who are here, who are calling themselves bandits and are kidnapping our children from school, who are calling themselves Fulani militia and are killing people, driving them from their lands and taking over, why is the Federal Government not going after them like they went after Sunday Igboho and went after Nnamdi Kanu? APC has failed this country. Is it security, is it economically, politically and socially? Where are we today? We can’t go to our villages. How many Nigerians can move from Lagos to Kano, Abuja to their villages? It is a problem. APC has completely failed, so, why should I go there to join them? To do what?”

Speaking at a presidential stakeholders meeting held at the Government House in Makurdi on Monday, October 26, the Minister explained why the report cannot be relied upon in response to Governor Samuel Ortom’s call for the conference report to be revisited or for a Sovereign National Conference to be convened to discuss the various challenges facing the country.

Akume said “The confab report cannot be relied upon because it defies equality as the number of people who came from the East outnumbered the North. I was at the National Assembly then, but I did not know those who represented me. They (representatives) were merely handpicked without my knowledge.”