Count me out of Akpabio’s travails, says Omo-Agege

Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege has denied asking the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio.

He said he did not authorise a “fake” letter requesting the Acting EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, to investigate the minister.

A statement by his spokesman, “The attention of the Office of the Deputy President of the Senate has been drawn to a letter dated 7th May, 2020, purportedly written by the Clerk of the Senate, acting on behalf of the Office of Deputy President of the Senate, requesting the Chairman of the EFCC to investigate and monitor the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and one other.

“This Office hereby states that the said letter is false, fake, malicious, mischievous and vexatious.

“This Office never instructed the Clerk of the Senate, or in fact any person, to write to or contact the EFCC in relation to any person.

“In the light of the foregoing, we wish to urge the public to disregard the fake letter, same being the handiwork of a person or persons with criminal intents.”

Senate Committee on Niger Delta Chairman Senator Peter Nwaoboshi last Wednesday accused Akpabio of failing to execute a contract he got from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) worth N500million.

He alleged that Akpabio used his position and influence as Senate Minority Leader to secure the contracts in 2017, received payment, but did not executive them.

But the minister denied the allegation, saying it was a smear campaign against him and that Nwaoboshi was jittery over the forensic audit of the NDDC.

The Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators (CNDA) and the Global Forum for Accountability and Transparency (GFAT), Nigeria, urged Akpabio to step aside and clear his name.

The militants threatened to resume hostilities if President Muhammadu Buhari fails to meet their demands on the NDDC and the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) within 21 days,.

As part of their demands, the militants called for Akpabio’s immediate removal and IMC’s dissolution.

In a communique issued after their extraordinary meeting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, the militants requested the immediate appointment of a new National Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).

“The Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators (CNDA), hereby, issues a 21-day ultimatum to the Presidency to address all demands.

“Failure to do so will undoubtedly result in our withdrawal of ceasefire and we shall be constrained to resume hostilities in the Niger Delta region which will culminate in the shutting down of all oil exploitations and explorations in the country.”

The communique was signed by John Duke of the Niger Delta Watchdog (NDW), who is the Convener of CNDA; Ekpo Ekpa of Niger Delta Volunteers (NDV); Osarolor Needam of Niger Delta Warriors (NDW); Henry Etete of Niger Delta Peoples Fighters (NDPF) and Asukwo Henshaw of Bakassi Freedom Fighters.

Others are Ibinabo Horsefall (Niger Delta Movement for Justice (NDMJ); Duke Emmanson (Niger Delta Fighters Network (NDFN); Inibeghe Adams (Niger Delta Freedom Mandate (NDFM); Abiye Tariah (Niger Delta Development Network (NDDN); Joshua Ebere (Renew Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta), among others.

On the allegations against Akpabio, they said: “We are sure that with Senator Akpabio in control, this issue will be readily swept under the carpet, as usual.

“We hereby demand that, if the President is actually taking the anti-corruption crusade seriously, the Minister should be asked to step aside.”

On PAP, they said: “In the absence of a substantive Special Adviser/National Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme, a similar rot, level of corruption is being witnessed in the Amnesty Office.

“We, therefore, demand that the President should immediately appoint a new National Coorinator, on the recommendation of the National Security Adviser, to ensure that sanity returns to the establishment.”.

GFAT Founder and Lead Executive of the group, Joseph Ambakederimo, while briefing journalists in Abuja, urged Akpabio to step aside for proper investigation.

The group also called for the suspension of the NDDC Interim Management Committee, adding that an allegation that the Acting Managing Director, Kemebradikumo Pondei, got N51 million for project Monitoring during the lockdown should be probed.

“We are worried that the purported forensic audit is a wild goose chase that will only amount to wastage of public funds. We therefore urge President Muhammadu Buhari should disband the Committee and set up a substantive Committee that will midwife a genuine forensic audit,” the group said.

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