Accusing Governor over imprisonment of Senator unfair, nonsensical – Aide

The Special Assistant to Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State on Media, Rev’d Richard Peters, has rubbished the claim making round in some part of the state that the governor was behind the incarceration of Senator Bassey Akpan, also known as OBA, the governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party in the state.

It will be recalled that since Senator Akpan was convicted by Justice Agatha Okeke of the Federal High Court, Uyo, in a six-count charge bordering on money laundering and graft brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, speculations have been rife in the state that Governor Emmanuel influenced the judgement against the embattled Senator to pave the way for the governorship candidate of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Pastor Umo Eno.

But Peters, in a press conference on Wednesday, described the insinuations as unfair and ‘nonsensical’, wondering how the governor could suddenly start working with Leo Ekpenyong, who petitioned Senator Akpan to EFCC and had recently accused Emmanuel of bribing Akwa Ibom Chief Judge, Justice Ekaette Obot to throw Barr Inibehe Effiong into prison.

He said the case was decided on the natural grounds that OBA was guilty as charged, and people should stop attaching political colourations to the judgement.

“It has been observed that since the Federal High Court, Uyo, presided by Justice Agatha Okeke, last Thursday, December 1, 2022, convicted the Senator representing Akwa Ibom North East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, informed and uninformed members of the public have taken to the social, print and electronic media to insinuate that Governor Udom Gabriel
Emmanuel is responsible for the travails of Obong Bassey Albert.

“As pathetic as the conviction of the Senator is to every well-meaning Akwa Ibom citizen, it is important to point out the injury such untruth, fueled by hatred, has caused the image of the Governor and his good intentions for the state and her citizens.

“Investigation into the circumstances which led to the formal charges against OBA by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) commenced in May 2010 (twelve years ago). At that time, Mr. Udom Emmanuel was nowhere near the corridors of Government in Akwa Ibom State.

“It may interest the public to know that EFCC has it in their records that the alleged offences were said to have been committed between May 2010, December 2012, November 2013, March 2014 and September 2014. OBA, by his statement to the EFCC, has been a Commissioner for seven years. During that period, he was the Chairman of the Akwa Ibom State Inter-Ministerial Direct Labour Coordinating Committee (IMDLCC), which the EFCC referenced in most of the charges.

“On June 8, 2015 (10 days after Mr. Udom Emmanuel was sworn in as the Governor), Barr. Leo Ekpenyong of Leo Ekpenyong & Co, NNPC Estate Office Complex, Garki, Abuja wrote a petition against Gov Godswill Akpabio to the Chairman of EFCC, accusing him of several crimes including (a) lack of accountability and transparency (b) Budgetary indiscipline for eight years (C) Diversion of local government funds (d) Acquisition of personal assets Using state funds for himself and family (e) Use of state funds for trivial and selfish political battle, and so on.

“The petition was copied to President Buhari and the then Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase. At the conclusion of investigations, the former governor was not charged. Rather, OBA was slammed with a fourteen-count charge.

“Surprisingly, Senator Bassey Albert was formally charged at the Criminal Division of the High Court of Lagos State, Ikeja, which was not the Jurisdiction of the commission of the alleged crimes on July 9, 2018, in Suit No. ID/7778C/2018. Charged along with the Senator was one Olajide Jones Omokore, a contractor who had business dealings with the state when Mr. Albert was the Commissioner for Finance under then Gov. Godswill Akpabio.

“The case was ongoing over the years until December 1, when it was decided under a normal condition.

“The question to ask is, in all the above-listed charges and dates/years referenced in the charges, where is Governor Udom Emmanuel? How was Gov. Udom directly or remotely connected to these activities? It is pertinent to observe that people can choose to destroy a good man for whatever gains they hope or intend to make.”