Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel has secretly petitioned his predecessor, Senator Godswill Akpabio to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), requesting the anti-graft agency to probe a #4.8 billion contract for the purchase of 400 unit of Toyota Corolla cars, at #12 million per unit. Akpabio allegedly awarded the contract barely 48 hours to his vacating office as Governor of Akwa Ibom State in May 2015.
Udom’s offensive against Akpabio comes barely one week after the Governor had an audience with President Mahammadu Buhari at the presidential villa ostensibly to discuss security matters, a move that have stunned and shocked Akpabio’s loyalists. Though Akpabio had a close door meeting in Abuja with his successor immediately Udom left Aso Rock after meeting with Buhari, the Akpabio’s camp are now jittery that with the surreptitious timing of the petition, the Governor might have compromised on his part to “protect” Akpabio and might have possibly entered into a secret alliance with Buhari to provide incriminating transactions and intelligence that could be used to nail Akpabio. This is because Intels from the meeting has it that Mr President had expressed misgiving on why the Akwa Ibom State Government would obtain a court injunction against EFCC and ICPC from investigating the Akpabio’s regime.
Investigation shows that Governor Emmanuel last month stumbled on fresh documents that revealed the Toyota car purchase scam was perpetuated on the eve of the previous administration and confided in some senior officials of the kitchen cabinet of his government on the issue. “The Governor was incensed when he discovered that such a contract was awarded by his predecessor, yet there is no evidence of delivery of even one of the 400 cars allegedly bought at a whopping sum of #12 million per unit. His anger was based on his frustration that if such cars were actually bought and delivered, he (Udom) would have allotted them to senior government officials and aides who do not have official cars more than one year after they were appointed”, said a source who pleaded anonymity but privy to the decision of the Governor to notify the EFCC.
He said, what was more alarming was that there was no proof of delivery of the vehicles even when the sum of #4.8 billion was released in full by Akpabio for the purpose. Though the EFCC declined comment on the matter when asked by our reporter, there are indications that the Governor has also secretly provided other sensitive documents showing Akpabio’s culpability in massive fraud running into billions of naira capable of providing the evidence needed to nail him and send him to prison.
When contacted, sources at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja declined to speak on the matter, insisting that the commission’s investigation of Akpabio is an internal administrative matter that can not be discussed until the commission briefs the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubarkar Malami (SAN) who recently mandated both the EFCC and ICPC to turn in and handover all past investigation and corruption related cases involving Akpabio and about 30 other former Governors’ to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) for effective prosecution.
Reacting to the development, a PDP chieftain who pleaded not to have his name in print said the car scam controversy may signal the end in the cordial relationship that hitherto existed before Akpabio and Udom Emmanuel. He noted with dismay that Akpabio left behind a huge mess that makes it impossible for the Governor to continue living in denial by defending Akpabio blindly, insisting that for his own sake and safety, Udom was right to have alerted the EFCC of the fraud.
Hear him, “It’s not possible for Udom to continue to cover Akpabio’s misdeeds as reality must set in at some point in time. Udom knows that with the way things are going between his predecessor and the EFCC, he (Udom) needs to free himself from the bondage and captivity of the Akpabio’s. I believe Udom’s meeting with Buhari last week might have just been the springboard that provided the trigger for what we are seeing today and many more to come in the days ahead”, he submitted.
On his part, a member of the former first family from Essien Udim who pleaded not to be named said, the latest cold war between Udom and Akpabio was to be expected sooner or later, stating that he knew too well that Udom could not be trusted to keep his own side of the bargain. He explained that with Udom’s secret romance with Buhari and the EFCC, it is possible to conclude that Udom has stabbed Akpabio in the back but goes about with an innocent face when in reality, he (Udom) wants to see his predecessor sent to jail even more than other perceived political opponents of Akpabio, warning of severe political consequences for the Governor if he fails to retrace his steps.
CREDIT: [GLOBAL CONCORD]