The Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chubuike Rotimi Amaechi, has denied insulting the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
The denial by Amaechi was made by himself and the President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation.
A statement by the spokesman of the Buhari Campaign Organisation, Festus Keyamo, said: “Our attention has been drawn to a news item purporting that the Director-General of President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation, His Excellency, Rt. Honourable Rotimi Amaechi, disparaged the Chairman of our great party, the APC, His Excellency, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to the effect that he is ‘bad luck’ to the Party.
“This news item is a classic case of the much-touted ‘fake news’ that has become a tool in the hands of desperate politicians. It is also an unsuccessful attempt to create a division between both great leaders of the Party.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state without equivocation that Rt. Honourable Rotimi Amaechi did not at any forum, whether in private or public, utter such words or anything close to those words in reference to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. He holds Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in the highest esteem possible.
“We have since discovered that this ‘fake news’ was concocted, released and circulated by the sinking main opposition party. Indeed the combination of Rt. Honourable Rotimi Amaechi and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is an obvious nightmare to them.
“From our intelligence sources, we wish to alert the general public that as the campaigns draw closer, many of such ‘fake news’ would be released and circulated by the opposition that is presently clutching at straws and harvesting chaff to survive. For them blackmail, outright lies, falsehood and now ‘fake news’ have become their campaign strategy.
“For us, we shall continue to alert the general public anytime such “fake news” is released and urge them to continue to ignore such stories. However, on our part, we are set to run an issue-based campaign.”
Speaking with State House Correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, Amaechi said: “I saw in social media this afternoon where they said I said the Chairman is a bad luck.
“I never said so.
“I have never said such a thing.
“They quoted me that I was attacking the Chairman.”