Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom has said displaced persons in the state need the wheelbarrows linked to his government.

Ortom however said they were provided by the National Emergency Management Agency for the displaced persons.

Ortom said this in an interview with State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said reports that his government was distributing the wheelbarrows was a blackmail against his administration.

He said, “Those wheelbarrows were brought to us by NEMA, to be distributed to displaced people who need them.

“They (the displaced persons) actually need those wheelbarrows and they were given to the state emergency relief body for onward distribution to the victims.

“And for whatever reasons, the agency wrote my name that I was distributing them. But as soon as that was drawn to my attention, I refuted it and I said this not my property.

“In empowerment, I have several programmes for the youth and these one are not meant for the youth. They were distributed to displaced people.

“So it was just meant to blackmail me because PDP members in Benue including David Mark are still dreaming that I am governor and I won election. I left them because of the injustice they did to me and I came to APC and found a platform. The people accepted me and I won.

“They are out to blackmail me and it will not work because there is no iota of truth.”

Azeez