Oshiomhole didn’t spend N18m on chartered flight –Aide 9 hours ago The Edo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Louis Odion, on Monday described as false, the allegation by the Edo State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Dan Orbih, that the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, spent N18 million to charter a private jet on a trip to Miami, United States, to attend a summit. Among several allegations, Orbih, had said N26m was given to 13 All Progressives Congress lawmakers who attended the convention while seven traditional rulers in the state got N17m to attend the same convention. He added that the sum of N22.5m was given to the governor’s Chief of Staff, Patrick Obahiagbon; and other aides to attend the convention while the governor as well as the chairman of the state economic team got N14.7m and N17.1m to go to New York and Miami respectively. However, the Edo State Government said the PDP chairman “exhibits hatred for Edo unity.” In a statement made available to journalists in Benin, the commissioner, who could not be reached for further comments on other allegations, explained that the governor travelled to the United States, “not privately” but on a request by the Edo community resident there, on a commercial airline. Odion said, “Edo PDP Chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, again exhibited his talent for lies and contempt for facts last weekend with a ludicrous claim that Oshiomhole chartered a private jet on a private trip to Miami, US, last month at the cost of N18m. “Ordinarily, one would not have bothered to dignify yet another of Orbih’s comic outbursts with a response. But for the sake of the gullible, this clarification is made. “Contrary to his mischievous lie, the comrade governor visited Chicago not privately, but to honour Edo community in US on invitation as a special guest at their annual convention. “Governor Oshiomhole travelled by commercial airline. Anyone who bothers to double-check would find that comrade Oshiomhole is, perhaps, one of the few governors today who travel with the smallest entourage, if not totally alone, with a view to saving cost.”
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 08:32:37 +0000