From INIOBONG SUNDAY, Uyo
Former Minister of Lands and Housing, Chief Nduese Essien, has expressed concern over the prevailing tension in Akwa Ibom State following a purported petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, against the immediate past governor Udom Emmanuel, by one Fejiro Oliver, of the Network Against Corruption and Trafficking, NACT.
He noted that the matter has taken ethno-political dimensions, with politicians and ethnic leaders taking sides, thereby polarising the polity and creating disharmony and distraction to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and the Governor Umo Eno, who had been drawn into the case.
Besides, Chief Essien, described as laughable, the insinuations in some quarters that Sen. Godswill Akpabio was stoking the fire to nail former governor Emmanuel, in the ongoing petition filed by NACT at the anti – graft agency, adding that Akpabio is too preoccupied with matters of national importance to be dragged into the matter.
Addressing journalists in his country home, Eket Local Government Area, the former House of Representatives member for Eket Federal Constituency decried the ethnic dimension the matter has taken, recalling that other political and non politicians had been to the anti -graft agency with no fuss, wondering why former governor Emmanuel’s own should generate issues.
He recalled that Akpabio has had his own share of EFCC scrutiny, noting that corruption, accountability and the rule of law transcend politics, stressing that
“the law remains the law, irrespective of where ever one comes from in the state”.
He said: “Even more absurd is the attempt to rope in the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio. As the third-ranking political figure in the country, Senator Akpabio is preoccupied with matters of national importance.
“It is laughable to suggest that he has the time or inclination to entertain a media-driven witch- hunt. Furthermore, let us not forget that Senator Akpabio has had a share of scrutiny from anti-graft agencies.
“If we are truly committed to accountability, it should be applied uniformly, without bias or selectivity. Additionally, we must reject the ethnic undertones creeping into this issue.
“Corruption, accountability, and the rule of law transcend ethnic affiliations. Whether one hails from Uyo, Ikot Ekpene, Eket, or any other part of the state, the law remains the law.
“Those purporting to fight corruption must do so with fairness and objectivity, rather than sowing discord along ethnic lines to manipulate public sentiment
“We must differentiate genuine demands for accountability from opportunistic grandstanding. Public officials are, by default, subject to scrutiny by the EFCC, ICPC, and other anti-graft agencies. If there are legitimate grounds for prosecution, due process will take its course. Until then, let us refrain from fueling baseless media trials. And, above all, I will not allow my name to be co-opted into this circus for the sake of sensationalism”.
Regretting that his name has been dragged into the fray, where they alleged he was ‘hired’ to defend Udom Emmanuel on Arise News, the lawmaker lamented that Senator Ita Enang, a former senator has joined in the media frenzy.
He lamented that Enang instead of championing legislative reform to curb corruption was lending credibility to what he called manufactured controversy.
“This media trial has also drawn in Senator Ita Enang, an experienced legislator and seasoned government figure, who has inexplicably aligned himself with Mr Oliver’s tactics. One would have expected a man of his standing to champion substantive legislative reforms against corruption rather than lending credibility to what increasingly appears to be a manufactured controversy, he stressed.
