‘He wasn’t buying votes’ — Ortom defends Benue PDP campaign director arrested by EFCC

Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue, says the arrest of Cletus Tyokyaa, director-general of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship campaign council in the state, for alleged vote buying, was unnecessary.

On Saturday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested Tyokyaa at the RCM polling unit in Daudu, Guma LGA in Benue, with N306,700 in various denominations stashed in his car.

EFCC said Tyokyaa, who is also a lecturer at the Sarwuan Tarka University (formerly known as the University of Agriculture), Makurdi, the state’s capital, could not provide a logical explanation for visiting the polling unit which was different from his.

The commission said Tyokyaa tried to run upon sighting the EFCC operatives and could not provide a coherent explanation which led to his arrest.

It said a search of his car revealed the money in various denominations.

However, while speaking to journalists on Saturday after casting his vote at the Tse-Ortom polling unit in Mzondu ward, Guma LGA, Ortom said the PDP campaign director was arrested unlawfully.

He said Tyokyaa had N100,000 on him as opposed to N306,700 which the EFCC said it found, adding that the money was not meant for vote buying.

“The report I received from Guma was that the director of our campaign was purportedly arrested by EFCC for having N100,000 on him. He was searched. What is the meaning of that? Are they agents of destruction? Are they agents of destabilisation of the electoral process or what?” Ortom asked

“Are you telling me that I will not have money for my upkeep when I go to a polling unit or what? N100,000! It is a shame. And this is not right. And I want to advise EFCC to immediately release the director of our campaign, Dr Cletus Tyokyaa. It is no offence, it is wrong, it is not correct. N100,000?

“I have more than N100,000 and I’m not buying votes and he wasn’t buying votes. You’ll arrest him if he’s buying votes. So it is wrong. So if they have paid agents of a particular political party to destabilise us on this election day that we have prepared for, for over one year, it is not correct. Whoever will get to EFCC command, the leader should know that what he’s doing is not correct.”

EFCC said Tyokyaa was released after volunteering a statement to the commission.