By Paul Aondoakaa 

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State has rejected a claim by the state Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Chief Solomon Iorpev, that the administration of former Governor Samuel Ortom gave the Federal Government the liberty to establish ranches in parts of the state in 2017.

Iorpev made the claim after his maiden State Executive Council meeting as commissioner last Friday, saying the previous administration had, on October 16, 2017, given the Federal Government permission to proceed with the creation of ranches in the affected areas.

According to the commissioner, the present administration inherited the arrangement and was taking steps concerning the proposed areas, while also consulting residents.

The statement has, however, triggered a strong response from the Benue PDP, which described the claim as “blatantly false, mischievous and completely unfounded.”

In a statement signed by the party's State Secretary, Dan Nyikwagh, the PDP challenged the commissioner to produce the document on which the alleged grant was based.

The party asked whether the purported authorisation was contained in a bill, Executive Council resolution, official government correspondence, gazette or land allocation instrument.

The PDP also pointed to the Benue State Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, 2017, arguing that the legislation was already in existence when the alleged October 16, 2017 grant was said to have occurred.

According to the party, former Governor Ortom signed the law on May 22, 2017, following consultations with stakeholders. It said the legislation provided for a six-month transition period and was scheduled to take effect in November 2017.

The PDP argued that there was no provision in the law granting the Federal Government portions of Benue land for ranch establishment.

The party said the alleged land grant would also appear inconsistent with the policy direction of the Ortom administration at the time, particularly its legislation against open grazing and its framework for ranch establishment.

“Therefore, as at October 2017, the law was already in existence,” the party said, insisting that there was no provision granting the Federal Government any portion of Benue land for ranches.

The PDP subsequently challenged Iorpev to publish the documentary evidence supporting his claim or withdraw the allegation.

The controversy comes amid continuing debate over livestock management, ranching and land use in Benue, where the regulation of open grazing has remained a significant political and public policy issue.

For Benue residents, the central question raised by the competing positions is therefore documentary: Was there an official agreement, resolution, correspondence or land allocation by the Ortom administration authorising the Federal Government to establish ranches in specified parts of the state on or around October 16, 2017?

At the time of publication, the source material available to Benue Info-pedia contains the commissioner's claim and the PDP's response, but does not include the alleged 2017 document or an independent archival record establishing the claim.

Benue Info-pedia therefore cannot independently confirm the existence or non-existence of such a document based solely on the material supplied.

The matter could be clarified if the relevant government archives, official correspondence, Executive Council records, gazettes or land allocation documents are made public.

The dispute also highlights the importance of documentary evidence when competing political narratives emerge over significant government decisions.

For now, the PDP maintains that the former Ortom administration did not grant the Federal Government land for ranches and has called on the commissioner to substantiate his claim.

What remains to be established is whether documentary evidence exists to support the October 16, 2017 claim.