Olusegun Ariyo
The All-Progressives Congress Media Network in Akwa Ibom has fired back at the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, for alleging that Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, was behind the petition and viral dissemination of faud and money laundering reports concerning his successor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, a former governor of Akwa Ibom State.
Udom Emmanuel was on Tuesday grilled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, following the money laundering, diversion of funds and stealing charges preferred against him by the Network against Corruption and Trafficking (NACAT).
The PDP, which is Emmanuel’s party, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba fingered Akpabio as being behind Emmanuel’s ordeal and the viral dissemination of the report, which he said was aimed at smearing his reputation.
Ologunagba said, “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alerts of plots by the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio to smear the immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Udom Emmanuel in a desperate but failed attempt to discredit the PDP.”
However, the Director General of APC Media Network, Otuekong Iniobong John, while dismissing the allegation in a statement on Saturday, said Akpabio was too busy with legislative issues and wouldn’t condescend to disseminating the news of the arrest/invitation of former Governor Udom Emmanuel.
John observed that the primary mandate of the EFCC is to investigate and prosecute economic and financial crimes in the country, therefore, the reports regarding Emmanuel’s invitation by the EFCC should not be attributed to a smear campaign orchestrated by Akpabio or any other individual for that matter.
He challenged the PDP “to deny the fact that Mr. Emmanuel was invited/arrested by the EFCC before accusing others of being behind the spreading of the news”.
He also queried, “Is Senator Akpabio the mastermind behind the arrest of former Governors Yahaya Bello and Ifeanyi Okowa, among others who have been investigated and prosecuted by the EFCC? This highlights the naivety, cluelessness and pettiness of the factional National Publicity Secretary of the PDP.”
The DG also warned against every form of ethnic colorations to Ex-governor Emmanuel’s ordeal as being propagated in Akwa Ibom noting that a PDP chieftain in the State, Cheif Ndueso Essien had earlier cleared the air by exonerating Akpabio of any complicity.
“We categorically assert that Senator Godswill Akpabio, the President of the Senate, has no business disseminating the news of the arrest/invitation of the former Governor Udom Emmanuel. As the Senate President, he is focused on overseeing the operations of the National Assembly and has no interest in engaging with trivial matters.
“It’s unfortunate that the factional National Publicity Secretary of the PDP could condescend to making baseless and malicious statements. But we know that the press release by the factional National Publicity Secretary of the PDP was conceived and sponsored by the PDP government in Akwa Ibom State.
“Some tribal bigots in the state have been propagating false propaganda that Senator Akpabio was behind the petition against ex-governor Udom Emmanuel. However, a PDP elder, Rt. Hon. Chief Ndueso Essien, has stated that Senator Akpabio was not involved in the petition.
“The APC Media Network condemns the PDP’s shameless attempt to manipulate public opinion and tarnish Senator Akpabio’s reputation. We urge the public to see through this cheap propaganda and hold the PDP accountable for their actions,” he said.
