The Network Against Corruption and Trafficking (NACAT) has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the former Akwa Ibom State Governor, Senator Godswill Akpabio over corruption allegation during his tenure as Governor of the state.
This is coming few days to the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly with the Former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs as one of the front runners for Senate Presidency.
Akpabio who is the preferred choice of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Senate Presidency has been under investigation by the EFCC since he left office as Governor in 2015.
Addressing journalists on Tuesday in Abuja, Justice Ojefia, Executive Director Legal of NACAT alleged that the fortunes of Akwa-Ibom people were mortgaged for personal aggrandizement under Senator Akpobio as Governor.
He said barely months after leaving office, the EFCC invited him over allegations bothering on misappropriation of funds of the Akwa-Ibom State Treasury.
“While the investigations and prosecution are still on, the civil society has not rested on its oars in its bid to ensure that corruption is nipped in the bud and that every penny of Akwa-Ibom Tax payers money are properly accounted for.
“It is on this note that the coalition of civil societies led by the Network Against Corruption and Trafficking, NACAT, embarked on an comprehensive investigations of the Akwa-Ibom State Government Account between 2011-2015.
“NACAT through these discovered financial infractions and irregularities ranging from circumvention of procurement processes, suspicious payments of monies, possible money laundering, to award of contracts to non-existent Shell Companies”, he alleged.
He said the question begging for answers are “how will the All Progressives Congress (APC) accuse the PDP government of wasting 16 years of our nationhood and still reward a PDP-man in Mr. Godswill Akpabio who’s part of the destruction of Nigeria and only joined APC 6 years ago?
“It is akin to give a PDP member the number three position in the land and saying that APC lied against PDP destroying Nigeria.
“To make Akpabio a Senate President is a reward for monumental corruption orchestrated in AkwaIbom and Ministry of Niger Delta/NDDC”, he noted.
He wondered how will Akpabio be allowed to preside over the same Senate when he accused the entire Senators as being behind the corruption in NDDC during the NDDC probe
“Giving Akpabio Senate President mandate is to whittle down the fight against corruption as he will enact laws that will weaken the EFCC and ICPC since he has cases with them.
“The nation is dominant of three tribes, namely Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo. It is nationally irresponsible to deny the Igbos the number three position in the land whether they bring votes or not, when they have ranking Senators of APC extraction who have not been tainted with corruption”, he added.