The Supervising Minister of Aviation, Dr. Sam Ortom, on Monday denied receiving funds from agencies under the ministry to oil his campaign machinery for the governorship elections in Benue State.
Ortom said those peddling the rumor that he was collecting money from aviation agencies were on a sinister mission to discredit him.
The minister made the clarification in a statement just as he said the over N174 billion debt owed by the aviation ministry on the third phase of airport re-modelling projects across the country was not any discovery, but a submission he made when the National Assembly Committee on Aviation visited the ministry on an oversight function.
Ortom dared anyone with concrete evidence that he compelled aviation agencies to remit money for his gubernatorial ambition to step forward and make it public.
He said, “It has come to my knowledge that the masterminds of this deliberate campaign of mischief, blackmail and calumny have also syndicated the spurious reports to several platforms. By the grace of God and the discerning Nigerian public they will surely fail.
“A Cursory look at the reports indicate that they have also failed the most elementary test that he who alleges must also prove as no proof of the allegation has been made and can never ever be made because such thing never happened.
“I state categorically that no parastatal or agency under the Aviation Ministry or any official under any of them has been tasked or is being tasked to remit any money to fund my campaign”.
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