Group Stage Protest At EFCC Against Akpabio

Patrick OdeyJanuary 20, 2019

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Following the sponsored protest staged last Monday by a civil right group at the zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Wuse 2, Abuja, against former Akwa-Ibom governor, Godswill Akpabio and demeaning allegations leveled against him were mere sabotage and sponsored campaign of calumny.

It has been discovered that the mounting support from different quarters for Akpabio and his adopted APC candidate, Nisma Ekere is a strong defeatist approach by the sitting governor, Emmanuel Udom of PDP. This is coming on the hills of Akpabio changing camp from the PDP to APC with a strong and still growing numbers of supporters in his trail.

The protest and the allegation leveled against Senator Godswill Akpabio was described as blatant lies and a campaign of calumny orchestrated by the group to pull down the senator, so as to stop him from winning the state to the opposition party in the forthcoming general election.
Little wonder, Gov. Udom feeling jittery about an intending loss at the poll in a few months. Therefore, he has been using every strategy and orchestrated plans to truncate and demobilized Akpabio and party’s moving train. But the Senator remains undaunted and unshaken by the false and fallacious allegations by Gov. Udom and his cohorts under the aegis of these baseless and unfounded by this civil right group.

With information at our disposal, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is yet to take any plausible decision against Senate Akpabio purportedly believing that it shouldn’t be now that the election is fast approaching that they would now come up with these false allegations.

Even at the live broadcast interview with President Buhari, he declared that he had never interfered in the activities of the anti-graft agencies, EFCC or ICPC on probing anybody including Akpabio. With the civil right group listed properties in the petition as belonging to Akpabio, there are no concrete evidences to support their claim and allegation; even previous petitions had been withdrawn by their originators because of lack of evidence.
This is not the first time Senator Akpabio has been going to EFCC to respond to petitions against him since he left office as governor four years ago. The protest by the group and the petitioners were pursuing a ‘political vendetta’.

According the senator in a recent interview stated that ‘I went to the EFCC personally to ensure that I answered to the petition and I answered them. I am the most investigated former governor in Nigeria. Go to anywhere in the world; I don’t have a single house that I could sell, whether in the United Kingdom or Dubai. I m one of the few Nigerians who doesn’t operate any foreign account. And I challenge anyone from anywhere in Nigeria to prove me wrong. So, forget about the contrived negative story that you heard about Godswill Akpabio.’

It was gathered that at the end of the protest which was allegedly ignored by the anti-graft agency, was said to have ended with disagreement as protesters were spotted at the front of Wuse Central Mosque, fighting over money as the leader of the faceless group as he was said to have shortchanged other members of the group as against the agree sharing formula.

Even it was said the sponsored protest was hurriedly put together by a top member of federal executive council in person of minister of transportation Mr. Rotimi Amaechi who is believed to be scary of Akpabio growing popularity in the South-South and this might have an effect on Amaechi’s established leadership role and authority in the entire south-south region; such that this leadership role will not be consumed by Akpabio in the final analysis.