3rd December, 2022
Former Minister Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio said attempts to drag him into the current ordeal of Senator Bassey Albert with EFCC are preposterous and laughable.
The former governor of Akwa Ibom State stated this on Friday while reacting to publications on some social media platforms alleging his involvement in the YPP governorship candidate judgment delivered on Thursday.
The YPP governorship candidate who is the Senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East (Uyo) Senatorial district at the National Assembly was sentenced to 42 years in prison for corruption in a case instituted against him by the EFCC.
However, Akpabio, in a statement by his Chief press secretary, Mr. Jackson Udom, said he is saddened by the development and knows nothing about Albert’s imprisonment.
The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to a very misleading and mischievous article currently being circulated in the social media by paid agents of some governorship candidates, which attempts to drag the name of former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Godswill into the committal into prison of the Senator representing Uyo Senatorial District, Senator Bassey Albert by the Federal High Court sitting in Uyo.
“Attempts by some ill-informed fellows to point an accusing finger at the former Senate Minority Leader in a matter he knows nothing about is, to say the least, unfortunate, preposterous and blackmail taken too far.
“For the records, Senator Akpabio was not even aware that Senator Bassey Albert had any existing case with the Economic and Financial Crime Commission ( EFCC) not to talk of having knowledge of the facts of the matter. He was shell shocked when news filtered in that the YPP Governorship candidate had been sentenced to 42 years in prison. Those who did this, know why they did it.
“It is nonsensical for the author of this piece of blackmail to admit in one breath that Mr. Leo Ekpenyong had similarly written petitions against Senator Akpabio and in another breath claim that the former Governor armed him with documents to nail Senator Bassey Albert Akpan. Did Akpabio also give Leo Ekpenyong documents to write the petitions against himself?
“We want to state for the umpteenth time that the former Minister has no hand nor any knowledge of what Senator Bassey Albert was battling with until yesterday when the news of his imprisonment became public knowledge. If anything, Senator Akpabio is sad and he is praying and hoping that the Uyo- born Senator will be exonerated from all the charges at the higher courts in the land.”