I didn’t take money for campaign – Minister

From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

Supervising Minister of Aviation and Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Dr. Samuel Ortom yesterday denied receiving any money from agencies under his aviation portfolio to fund his gubernatorial ambition in Benue state.
A statement made available to aviation journalists and signed by the minister noted that the said report was malicious and challenged anyone with any evidence to publish same.

“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 and has ever made monthly or any payments to me to fund my campaign. I challenge any one with proof of such to step forward and publish for the general public” the minister explained.

He said “My attention has been drawn to reports in some national newspapers that there is another crisis rocking the Aviation Ministry, as some parastatals in the ministry are being compelled to make monthly payments to me for the funding of my governorship campaigns in Benue state. It has also come to my knowledge that the masterminds of this deliberate campaign of mischief blackmail and calumny have also syndicated the spurious reports to several other newspapers, magazines, as well as the social and electronic media.”

He continued further: “Their plan is to run me down in the media and other platforms throughout June and the next few months of this year. By the grace of God and the discerning Nigerian public they will surely fail.
“A cursory look at the reports indicates that they have failed to prove their allegations but added that the allegations can never ever proved “because such a thing never happened.
“The fact that the reports lack any semblance of a genuine investigative work but are being pushed into the media indicates that unseen sinister hands are at work.

In the strong worded statement, Ortom also said, “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 and has ever made monthly or any payments to me to fund my campaign. I challenge anyone with proof of such to step forward and publish same for the general public” the statement said.